For the last two weeks our students have been taking the WASL tests. Our fifth graders took the reading, math and science tests - Eight straight days of testing! Today we finished, much to the relief of both students and teacher. Now it's time to stay focused for the remaining forty days of school.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
Fort Flagler Youth Retreat
Every spring for the last several years, Esther and I help out with the Harper Church youth retreat at Fort Flagler. We are usually very fortunate to have good weather. This year was no exception. The setting is one of the most spectacular in the Puget Sound, set on a bluff overlooking Admiralty Inlet and the Cascade Range. The well kept lawns and nearby bunkers provide a haven for young adult entertainment. The retreat was well attended with more than 50 youth. John discussed eastern religions and their contrast to Christian teaching. As usual, Dan and I slipped away during free time to look at boats in Port Townsend.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Mother's Music
There are few things that mom enjoys as much as playing hymns on the piano. She and Ellen stayed with us a couple of nights; and it wasn't long before mom was drawn to the antique piano of Esther's grandma that I begrudgingly hauled down to Southworth last summer. She played song after song, slowly working her way through a hymnal. I was amazed at how gracefully she played each song. At home, she has a small electric keyboard, so she relished the rich sound of a seasoned piano. Her enjoyment of the instrument made me appreciate the presence of 'the beast' a little more. It was great having my sister Ellen and mom over for a few days. With two trips to SeaTac and one to Marysville yesterday, we said goodbye to mom, Ellen and Corbin. We had a surprise meeting with Bjorn and friends in Marysville as they were on their way down to Tacoma for a concert. We are having a quiet Easter at home today.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
los tres amigos
This past week, Corbin has been staying with us. He lives in Arizona now, but is spending his spring break with us. He grew up next door to us and Markus and Calvin are the closest thing to brothers that he has. He has grown a lot in the last couple of years, and it is fun to see how much he has matured.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
sister sunday
This afternoon Esther and I drove down to Olympia to visit my sisters and mother. Ellen is on spring break and up from Sacramento, and Susan picked up mom from Lynden. We took a long walk around McClean Pond which is about a mile from Susan's house. Mom enjoyed her walk, though she had to maneuver through mud puddles and slippery boardwalks. It was great to spend time together and we are looking forward to Ellen and mom staying with us later this week.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Whistler at last!
After years of being envious of others, we finally got to experience Whistler snowboarding. We waited the first morning out because of cloudy conditons, but then had a day and a half of great weather. Though we certainly didn't hit every run on the two mountains, we at least hit all the highlights and got a good feel for what is there. Tuesday we did Blackcomb mountain, where my favorite was the seventh heaven area. Wednesday we explored Whistler mountain, of which the favorites were harmony ridge and the long 'peak to creek' run. The conditions were a lot nicer on top where it was still freezing, than near the bottom with its slush. We all had a good time and it was nice to have nephew Zach along.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
waiting it out in Whistler
It's Tuesday morning, and instead of snowboarding, we are sitting in the condo waiting for the sun to burn off the thick layer of clouds. The webcams from this morning showed very foggy slopes, but this aftenoon looks promising. We are saving our full-day passes for tomorrow, but the boys and I are doing the half-day today. Things aren't too busy around the village, but they are not dead either. Esther can do some shopping this afternoon while we are on the slopes. The condo is fairly convenient as it is on the edge of the village proper. There is a large grocery store right below us, and we can leave our van in the underground parking.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Vintage 242
On our way to Whistler, we stopped to visit Bjorn and Jenny, as well as attend their church. Bjorn has been involved in planning and setting up services. The church is a new church that might be labeled an 'emerging church.' They are loosely connected with Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Pastor Johnny presented a practical sermon from Romans, and worship included communion, meditation and singing. The atmosphere is contemplative with lots of candles and simple articles for focus in worship. '242' comes from Acts 2:42, and 'vintage' emphasizes identification with historical christianity. We were excited to experience the service and meet the people who are important in Bjorn's ministry life.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Those trees looks small from the house, but when you're working from a ladder with a sixteen inch chainsaw, they're pretty intimidating. Add the anxiety of them possibly falling the wrong way and landing on the ferry terminal generator, and you have a nervous lumberjack. Esther helped me by making sure the beach was clear and clipping blackberries. We tied a rope to a couple of them for a false sense of security. Despite fighting the wind, all five trees landed exactly as planned, except the last one, which went the opposite way. The weather was great. It feels like a successful day, with a much nicer view of Seattle from our living room.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Cybergrades
Just a couple of years ago, I remember sitting at a big table with grading sheets spread out and my pen carefully entering grades and writing comments. The white out bottle was handy and ready to come to the rescue. Today, I sit in my recliner with only my iBook. The report card is accessed online and all my grades are in another window. The comments can easily be changed and grades modified with a quick click. The time consumption is more than cut in half. Report cards were due today, but I actually had them in a day early!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
A Bulthuis Wrestler?
I grew up with the impression that wrestling was a 'pagan' sport. Neither Lynden Christian nor Calvin College ever had a wrestling program. The rationale was never explained to me, and I just presumed that it was an 'unChristian' thing to do. I later learned that such a spiritual giant as Jim Eliot was a wrestling standout for Wheaton, and wrestling certainly has a biblical precedence as a sport. I even married a high school 'mat maid.' However, a childhood moral conscience is hard to break and I never encouraged my sons to consider the sport. But a few years ago, while my guard was down, our youngest started softly expressing interest in the barbaric sport. I tried very hard to stuff my biases and instead supported any athletic ambition in my progeny. Going to matches, I felt like an incompetent supporter, as I didn't know the first thing to yell, beside "Go Calvin". These last three wrestling seasons have been a learning experince for me. It has been a good experience for Calvin as well. He ventured off into uncharted territory for a Bulthuis, developed lots of valuable friendships and learned a bunch of things about himself and the techniques of effective wrestling. The district tournament today was probably Calvin's final match as he does not plan to continue in high school. He pushed the Bulthuis' wrestling genetics to the limit and won one match and avoided pins in two others. Calvin, you did a wonderful job in wrestling and taught all of us a thing or two.
Suprise! Surprise! Surprise!
On our way up to an Eide Partner's stockholders meeting in Marysville, we decided to detour I-5 traffic and tour our old stomping grounds in Pinehurst. As we approached our familiar driveway, we noticed that something was very different. The cursed trees and the familar parsonage were gone. Cyclone fencing guarded the entire property. We thought maybe it was ground zero! We drove to the back of the JW church for a closer look. As we were surmising the fate of our once beloved abode, Esther spotted a familar ugly brown in the corner of her eye. Behold - the pathetic structure had been hoisted on steel beams and hauled over to a neighboring alley for a new lease on life. (Check out more pics by clicking the picture) We drove around to a new vantage point and reminisced of life in the fishbowl with three young boys.
College Preview - round 2
Friday we went to SPU for a tour and some appointments with admissions and financial aid. Markus has been accepted and is considering SPU. Esther and I needed to talk to financial aid to help us get over 'sticker shock' With Markus' academic scholarship and some 'need based' grant money, the out of pocket comes down a little, but is still pricey compared to other options. I was once again impressed with facilities and strong academic program at SPU. It's hard to imagine that I spent over a year in graduate studies at this school. One very 'coincidental' experience was that in my efforts to set up appointments I was helped one of Bjorn's friends - 'Boone'. After graduating from Trinity last year, he worked in Portland for several months before recently taking a job with SPU. It was good to touch basis with him as we share flickr photos.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Better a Millstone tied to neck
As part of the requirements for maintaining a teaching certificate, I took a class this weekend on 'Child Abuse Issues for Educators.' It is quite disturbing to be made aware of the realities of child abuse in our society. Some of the stories are horrific. As educators, we are considered 'Mandatory Reporters' which means we are required by law to report to CPS any reasonable suspicion of child neglect or abuse. Fortunately, we have a very good interventionist in our school, to whom we can refer any 'red flags.' In the ten years or so that I have taught, there have been about half a dozen cases from our classroom where reports have been filed. It is a difficult judgment call to file a report as I feel strongly that parents should be approached openly and honestly. However, there are times when the confrontation can add fuel to the fire, and put the child in more danger. I was reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 17: "It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little one to sin."
Sunday, March 05, 2006
A Father's Duty
Of all the rites of passage that a teenager goes through, none seems as monumental as learning to drive. This is now my third experience of teaching a son the responsibilties and skills of controlling a 2000 lb. vehicle at varying speeds and situations. Calvin is doing a great job. However, I am reminded again of how much knowledge and judgement is needed to drive effectively and safely. There are just so many little things that an experienced driver does automatically, but a neophyte has no awareness of. This task of driver's training is one that both Esther and the boys are glad that I take responsility for :)
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Peter's Painting
I haven't blogged for over a week and I'm feeling delinquent. Last weekend I spent much of the time painting our dinning room and front entry. After a weekend in a condo at Big White with wild warm colors, we were inspired to go ahead with some warm colors that we had been considering. It is a lot different, and it helps warm up an area of the house that has felt cold.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
A sad ending to the weekend
An otherwise wonderful weekend was dampened by a Frenchman. As we started up the cars to leave Big White, Jenny's car let up a cloud of smoke as the fan belt ripped apart. On further investigation, it became evident that the coolant was frozen solid! Three weeks ago, Jenny had her car worked on at Langley Chrysler and had paid for a 'peace of mind' inspection. Jenny wisely called the service manager, Andre, in Langley who at first would not take responsibility. After some persistence from Jenny, he seemed to be fess up a little. The car was towed to Kelowna and we brought Bjorn and Jenny back to Langley. Today she got word that the engine was OK and only some hoses and belts need to be replaced. Hopefully, Langley Chrysler will take responsibility. The car still needs to be retrieved from Kelowna. Jenny drew this picture on the 'tablecloth' at Montana's in Kelowna.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Another Day on the slopes
The temperature was a little warmer today, so the ladies joined us on the slopes. The setting is quite spectacular as the skies are clear, the trees crusted in snow and distant mountains glistening in the sunshine.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Weekend at Big White
Drove until 2:30 this morning to get to Big White. Calvin had a wrestling match which gave us a late start. He won his match. Today was a cold day of snowboarding. Mercury was well below 0 F last night. There were nine of us who braved the elements to enjoy the scenery and fun on the slopes. It is great to have Bjorn and Jenny here with us. Jenny is outnumbered by the men and boys, but she keeps up fine. It is exhilarating storming down the slopes in a gang. The condo is very handy-right next to the run.
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