Tag! You're it! 7 Random Things About Me...

Well, thanks to my dear friend, Joanne, I am updating my blog. She "tagged" me and I am supposed to "tag" 7 random people in the same way. I didn't tag 7, but I am eager to see what the ones I did tag have to share. However, I know how busy life is and how hard it is to just update your blogs with your regular life, so I totally understand if you don't do this! And if you are REALLY bored, please feel free to read on...
ONE: I don't know how random this is since those of you who really know me already know this. I feel like I have some borderline OCD behaviors. (And honestly, since I have never done any research on OCD, maybe what I am describing is completely different.) For example, (and I am getting better with this one!) as I am going to bed each night, I check my alarm clock and my cell phone alarm to make sure they are set. Once I go to bed, I get up anywhere from 2-5 more times (don't ask how I chose 2-5 more times--it is the mystery that I cannot explain!) to check my alarms to make sure they are actually set in case I missed something the first time. I have become so much better about this now that I go to the gym every morning--I guess with that regular early-morning routine, it's helped, so I usually only check once. Another thing I do has to do with making sure things are even and "in their place." If I have put something somewhere, (at home or at school) and someone comes along and moves it, I am pretty stressed out until that item gets back to where it belongs. I am also preoccupied with making sure everything is organized and "even" on my desk, podium at school, etc. I am constantly straightening papers and books to make sure this happens.
TWO: When I was younger, I actually made myself faint (it was something all the kids were doing at school) when I was by myself in my bedroom. In the process, I tore ligaments in my ankle as I fell. As my mom was taking me to the doctor, she was so horrified by what I had done that she told me I was to tell the doctor I was playing on my bed and fell off.
THREE: I have been transported to the hospital by ambulance three times in my life: once when my foot was run over by a parade float; another time when I fell head-first down a staircase and landed on my jaw on the cement step at the bottom (my top front left tooth is slightly shorter than the right one because of this); and finally when I was hit in the face and knocked out by a softball.
FOUR: I LOVE Cool Whip. I love it so much that I will literally buy a container and when I have a craving for it, I will get out a spoon and go to town. If I have strawberries and brown sugar to go along with it, great, but I am also perfectly fine eating it by the spoonful with nothing else!
FIVE: I really struggle with making decisions. I think I am always worried about choosing the wrong thing--but I am sure it annoys my friends when they ask where I would like to eat and my answer is "Whatever you all want!"
SIX: I can't stand brussel sprouts. When I was in grade school, I was spending the night at a friend's house and her mom forced me to try them. I will never forget that and I think it made me hate them even more!
SEVEN: I love looking at city lights at night. This stems from when I was little and I used to stay with my Aunt Bernie and Uncle Cliff when my parents would go to horse shows. There was this road that came around a hill and as we got to the top, the view of the lights was breathtaking. I used to hide down behind the back seat and as I knew we were getting to the top, I would jump up and yell, "Look at the lights." I did this constantly and I can't imagine it not being annoying to Aunt Bernie and Uncle Cliff, but they still made sure they always drove that direction at night so I could get my "Look at the lights" moment in whenever I visited. I will never forget this and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I would love a home that somehow overlooks city lights and has a big window where I can just sit and stare at them at night!

First Week of School

Well, as much as I worked on inventing some kind of time machine to delay the arrival of the first week of school, I failed. The first week has come and gone and I came straight home on Friday to take a nap! The first week was pretty mellow, but I kind of forgot how draining it can all be. To say I was exhausted all week would be an understatement. I am, however, finally back into the routine and I think this coming week will be less draining...at least I hope it will be!

The first week, as I mentioned, was uneventful. Other than getting several new kids each day, nothing particularly exciting happened. I am always amazed when new kids show up on the 3rd or 4th day of school. (And we will undoubtedly continue to get these kids trickling in next week too.) I actually can't stand getting new students. Mind you, I don't let them know I can't stand it-- it's usually not their fault and I would never want to make a new student feel bad because of my issues, but for me it is just a big pain. Not only do I have to try and explain everything they need to know about my class in a very abbreviated 2 minutes or so, but they have missed out on so many important things that I cover in the first few days. I like things to be very clear, neat, and organized and getting all these new students really messes with my clear, neat, and organized nature. ;-)

Since we have only completed one week (a short week due to the Labor Day holiday), next week will probably be the true test. This last week was the "honeymoon" period and I am sure I will start to see some true colors next week. I did have a few students in one class start off on the wrong foot on the first day--and as I told them, it's never a good thing when I already know your name on day one! I had conversations with all of them and strangely enough, they all did fine the rest of the week. I hope that will be the case the rest of the year, but I am also realistic and know they might still struggle. Seeing their genuine efforts to do better, however, was actually pretty terrific. One of them even included a note on his first assignment and stated that he was sorry for starting off that way and hoped to have a fresh start...and he was the one who I thought was going to have the worst time in my class because his attitude was probably one of the worst I have encountered in a long time. That's something, isn't it?

I absolutely love my schedule! First of all, our house has the GATE students this year. They are my second period and they are adorable. I probably shouldn't be describing 8th grade students as adorable, but they are. They are all very eager to please and do well and seem eager to express themselves and share their ideas--I love it! Secondly, I have three class periods before lunch. This may not mean much to you, but to me it is wonderful because it means I only have two classes after lunch in the afternoon. As a general rule, our students seem to be a bit more hyped up after lunch, which I am sure is the case for any age, so to get three classes out of the way first thing in the morning is a blessing. After lunch, I have two classes and then the cherry on top--7th period prep. It is so refreshing going through the day knowing I can still look forward to prep! The other benefit is that I can get loads of work done to prepare for the next day, which means I don't have to worry about getting to school too early. Once I really start collecting and grading homework, that prep will hopefully provide the time I need to get lots of work done so I don't have to bring as much home.

So, what can I say? I certainly cannot complain. Other than feeling sentimental about those lazy summer days, I have so much to be thankful for. I had a wonderful summer and got to travel in Oregon as well as visiting friends down in Orange County and San Diego. My dear friends, Andrew and Jessica had their son, Samuel Andrew Davidson, and I had the privilege of being there when he was born. I had plenty of extra time on my hands to get into my classroom and get it decorated the way I wanted long before we were even required to be back at school. (I have included some pictures in case you were interested!) I got to see my mom and Aunt Carol as they were traveling through on their way to Oregon and Idaho. I was able to spend lots of time reading lots of books. I got to spend lots of time in person and on text messaging with my dear friend (really more like a sister) Amy as she began her first nursing job in Labor and Delivery at UCLA. I had a spectacular summer and if this career can afford me the privilege of getting time off like that, then I will absolutely take the frustrations with a grain of salt. I am still eager to pursue teaching jobs in other areas, especially out of state, but it appears that this is where God has me for now and I know better that to question His reasons. I actually ran into a former student this summer when I was out with a friend. This former student told my friend that I was one of the only teachers she ever learned anything from. Talk about humbling--but it also gave me the little extra push to realize that God's plan is always the best plan. In the near future, though, as I begin to ponder where else I would like to pursue a teaching job (Colorado and Idaho are where I am focusing right now...any other ideas?), I want to make sure I am making the most out of my time here. I feel like I complain a lot and I don't want to focus on the negatives when there are a lot of positives here: I adore my friends here; love my church family; and am thankful for having some pull at my school and in my district being that I am kind of a veteran as I head into year 13. With so many blessings, how can I not be thankful? So, on this first Sunday of the NFL regular season (GO COWBOYS!!!) I am off to do laundry and prepare for another week of school. I hope that as the autumn approaches, you are all enjoying life's blessings too. Life is good, wouldn't you agree?

Phelps Phan!

It might be because I used to be a swimmer, but any time the Summer Olympics take place, I am glued to the screen during the swimming races. I love the gymnastics as well, but (and I think this year especially) nothing gets my heart pumping quite like those swimming races. This year, there's this 23-year-old "superman" of sorts, Michael Phelps, who is pursuing a mind-blowing eight gold medals. As I am writing this, he has earned six of those eight and I am eager with anticipation because he goes for number seven in about an hour and a half west-coast time. If you have not heard of Michael Phelps, you must have been living under a rock or have no access to a computer or television. Since I was not alive when Mark Spitz earned his seven gold medals, even though I have heard about it, it's Michael Phelps who is making an impression on me right now. With all of the pressure of what he is trying to accomplish in Beijing, I don't know how he holds it together. I even saw an interview with Mark Spitz and he said that when he swam, nobody was really paying attention to him until gold medal number five...then suddenly the media decided to start covering what was going on at the swimming pool; not the case for Phelps. He has had a camera following every move since even before Beijing. He emerged in Athens and has, since then, been focused on the Beijing Olympics with his sights set on breaking Spitz's record. I am filled with admiration because he is amazing...and because I know, in a very small way, about all those nerves leading up to a swimming race and standing on the racing block waiting to hear the start signal. I still get butterflies every time I think about it and my admiration for Phelps and all those swimmers is growing daily...mostly because I know they have those same butterfllies and nerves, but have figured out a way to use them to their advantage. I am in awe of the talented Phelps and cannot wait to see him attempt to break even more records.
And did you see the mens 4x100 relay? I think those moments watching that race might be the most exciting moments of my life in recent months. I couldn't even sit down. I might have even shed a tear at the end and during the medal ceremony. To see those four men work together to make that gold medal a reality was phenomenal...but the most phenomenal part of the race for me was Jason Lezak's come-from-behind sprint to bring home the gold. Considering the French and their promise to "smash" the Americans, seeing the French get beat made the win even more satisfying. I think Michael Phelps, if he does end up bringing home eight gold medals, will need to give a huge thank you to all of his teammates in the relays...because three of those gold will be from relay races. Swimming in Michael Phelps's shadow is probably somewhat difficult, but I, for one, have loved watching the incredible talent of all the United States' swimmers as well as talented swimmers from other countries.
Don't even get me started on the incredible performances by the US women gymnasts in the all-around last night! GO USA!

I love my family!

This picture is from last summer, but I thought I should post it because it shows a large portion of my family on my mom's side. We had a fun-filled family reunion at my sister and brother-in-law's ranch in Donnelly, Idaho. I am in the back, second from the left with my brother-in-law, Barry next to me. My sister, Stephanie, is in the back also, second from the right. My brother, Billy, is in the back, 4th from the right. My mom, Annette, is the gorgeous lady sitting in the chair on the left.

The reunion was full of gorgeous scenery and fun adventures that can only be had in the beautiful mountains of Idaho. We missed Aunt Ruby, but they had another reunion this summer in June (in Texas), so she was able to enjoy that one. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to that reunion due to scheduling conflicts with the end of my school year, but I will definitely be at the next one! Family reunions are always so refreshing and a good reminder of how fortunate we all are to have loving families. I know how blessed I am and am thankful every day!

Camping in Newport Beach

I have come to the realization that I have a love/hate relationship with camping. I love seeing the sights, taking pictures, playing card games around the campfire, s'mores; I dislike the bathroom/shower situation and feeling dirty. Some campsites have nice bathrooms and showers (Newport Dunes had decent ones, but even with nicer ones, I still have a hard time showering in community showers.) and others might not have either. Some places have showers and charge you a load of quarters for a 1 minute shower, so really, I was thankful that Newport Dunes had decent bathrooms with showers and we didn't even have to pay for the showers. I have some friends who just LOVE camping--and tent camping at that-- and will camp under any circumstances, even if there are no bathrooms or showers. I am not one of those people. When I get invited by friends to go camping, if there are showers, I will usually agree to go because I love spending time with my friends.
When my friends Kevin and Tara invited me to go camping with them in Newport Beach last week, I was totally excited. Not only is Newport Beach beautiful, but the campsite had bathrooms, showers, a pool, game room, and lots of other perks. Kevin and Tara also have a tent trailer and that sealed the deal. They also had tickets to an Angels game that we attended while down there. (I had never been to Angel Stadium and I was quite impressed--it is much nicer than Dodger Stadium.) We had so much fun interacting with Ella (Kevin and Tara's beautiful little girl), relaxing, reading, seeing the sights on Balboa Island, swimming, playing card games at night, and yes, there were even s'mores! On Wednesday night, Kevin's sister came out to visit and beat us all at cards. She had not seen Ella for a long time, and it was fun to catch that reunion on film.I was so thankful they invited me. We had a great time and it was another nice break from the desert. I don't have much time before school starts, so I am trying to live it up and enjoy this time as much as I can! Hope you are all enjoying your summer too.

Facebook and Other Random Things

I am not sure how many of my friends and family know about this wonderful invention called "Facebook," so I am going to enlighten those who are unfamiliar and just generally rave about how much fun it is! If you know anything about the internet, you have probably heard of Myspace. I am not sure which came first--Myspace or Facebook--but I prefer Facebook. Both are basically online social networks. If I remember the history correctly, however, Facebook (you can check the whole story on Wikipedia) started as an online college networking tool. I think many of us remember having "facebooks" in college--those handy dandy little books that helped us find (stalk?) people and their contact information. Well, Facebook--the online version--is basically the same thing, just on the internet. Awhile back, Facebook became open to anybody 18 and older and is growing every day as people join in on the craze. I suspect college students who used to use it exclusively are probably annoyed by this, but I am personally so thankful for it. This fantastic tool has allowed me to reconnect with some very dear friends from high school and college. Without this network, I doubt I would have been able to get back in touch with so many! It has also allowed me to stay in touch more frequently with friends from the past and present, regardless of how many miles might be between us. The great thing about a network like Facebook is that it allows you to (very easily, I might add) create sort of a blog, but with even less work. (I don't mean to imply that updating or changing this blog is difficult. All I have to do is type a few words and click a few buttons--they do the rest!) Facebook is a blast and I highly recommend that everyone get a Facebook because I am sure you all need just one more fun distraction! ;-)

On another note, my mom mentioned that she was annoyed by the music here on my blog, so for those that might be of the same mindset (although I am not sure how this could be since it's all such fun music!), I just wanted to make sure you were aware that all you have to do in order to stop the music from playing is hit the pause button at the top on the left-hand side of the green music player. That way you can read with no musical distraction...but I don't know how much fun that would be. In the spirit of taking Mom's suggestion, however, I wanted to mention it just in case anybody else was thinking the same thing!

Finally (and completely randomly), my hair is really bothering me. I am at the weird "in-between-short-and-long" stage and it is really bothering me. I am tired of short, so I am growing it out, but since there are layers (and I suspect that anybody who has dealt with growing out layers before will agree) it is very difficult. It's at that awkward time that the growing layers just aren't long enough, but my bangs are too long. I don't want to go and get a trim since I feel like that will defeat the whole point of letting it grow out. To make matters worse, due to the naturally curly factor, as I have been going on vacations and visiting places with high humidity, I have learned high humidity + heat + sweat + curly hair = disaster. It's never good when I choose to put my hair in pony tails and put on a hat for every event. Another disturbing discovery...GRAY HAIR. I have noticed a few here and there, but the other day, I started noticing a lot when I was pulling my hair back for the pony tails and hat look. I would like to say that I am growing older gracefully, but with such dark brown hair, I suspect I am going to be paying a lot more $$ to Michele at Priscilla's Salon from now on. As if haircuts aren't already expensive enough! On that note, it just reminds me how short and precious our time is on this planet. Which means I need to go now and use it wisely and be a light to those I am about to come across as I head to Target. :-)

Catching up with friends...

After I returned from Oregon, I went down to visit my friends in Irvine (the Pence family) and Ladera Ranch (the Engel family). I went to college with Joe and Janie Pence and have just recently reconnected with them. I had a wonderful time visiting with them and getting to know their three kids, whom I just adore! Monett Engel is a dear friend from high school. She and her husband, Brian, just had a beautiful baby girl named Milanna. It was so much fun visiting with them and having a chance to meet Milanna for the first time. Monett surprised me when I got down there because she had set up lunch with another one of our friends from high school, Darcy, and her little girl, Morgan. I have not seen Darcy since, well, high school, so that was a joy! I think that one of my favorite things about growing up and getting (yikes!) older is seeing friends have kids. It is fun seeing different physical and character qualities the children possess that are just like their moms and dads!
And did you notice? I am not wearing the green sweatshirt!

4th of July in Florence,Oregon

I think I am seeing a theme here. The theme being that clearly I wear that green hooded sweatshirt way too much. I do like green, but this is getting ridiculous. My goal should be to make sure I don't ever wear that sweatshirt in any pictures from this point on.

At the end of June I got a call from my dear friends, the Davidsons (oh heck--they are like my family!), asking if I would like to come along with them on their annual trip up to Florence, Oregon. I have been with them once before and it didn't take me long to realize that going up there for a week would be a welcome contrast to the heat of the desert. So, I accepted their gracious offer and headed up to the Oregon Coast for 9 days! The drive up there and back was very long, but the relaxing days in between made it all worthwhile! The town of Florence is charming, but also has enough stores and restaurants that you don't feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Lake Woahink is where we spent most of our days and those brave enough to waterski were greeted with very nice conditions on the lake. The picture of Amy and me shows one of the few times that the sun peeked through and we actually saw some blue sky! I thoroughly enjoyed the break from the heat since temperatures never really got out of the 70s.

On 4th of July, we stood on the drawbridge that crosses into Florence and watched fireworks. I love fireworks, but after seeing them over the water, I am spoiled--it was gorgeous. The reflection in the water just made them even more beautiful!

A Day at the Beach!

So on Memorial Day Weekend I got to go to the beach near Oxnard, CA and spend the day visiting with some college friends of mine. I went to Master's with Joe and Janie and although we have kept in touch a little through the years, we've really reconnected now because of this fabulous thing called "Facebook." (I will have to write about how much fun that is later!) Anyway, we are back in touch now and I had so much fun hanging at the beach and campground with them (they were there with their church for a weekend of family camp) and loved getting to officially meet their three adorable kids for the first time. We had so much fun catching up, laughing, and just generally relaxing. When we went to the beach, there was an elephant seal really high up on the sand. Janie and I were worried about it thinking that perhaps it was stuck, but the lifeguards assured us that it was a completely normal thing for the seals to come out and hang on the sand for several hours--even with tons of people all around. It was actually kind of fascinating and when we were fairly close to the seal at one point, the ocean waves came up and surprised us from behind, so we all jumped and screamed and then the seal gave us the "look." That cute little seal kind of looked over his shoulder at us and almost looked angry that we were disturbing his sunbathing time! All in all it was so wonderful to see my friends and see so many of their great attributes displayed so clearly in their three children. Random thought: I find it kind of interesting that I am wearing the same green sweatshirt here as I was wearing when I went cherry picking last Saturday. I swear I have lots of other clothes!

I have NO idea what I am doing here...

OK, so I decided it is time for me to jump on the "Blog" Wagon. I am pretty sure that my blog won't be very exciting, but I figured I would give it a try! Let's see...for my first post I will share all about my great day on Saturday with the Romero Family. My friends Richie and Shelley and their two adorable girls, Viviana and Mia invited me to go cherry picking with them! It was pretty fun and I learned lots about cherries. I also learned that it is hard to focus on actually picking the cherries and putting them in the buckets since all we really wanted to do was eat them. We will see how this whole "blog" experience goes since now my organized side is freaking out a little bit--I feel like I should start at the beginning like my scrapbooks do--but that would take WAY too long, so until I figure out how to do this, you will have to forgive me for my lack of organization!