keepin' up on jer's world

2009-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

I feel naked today! I left my cell phone at home, and I have no idea how that happened. I think pregnancy brain attacked me. I thought for sure I threw it in my purse. I can't text, check my facebook, receive calls....and am already having serious withdrawals. I wish I could update my status on facebook and tell people--but I don't have my phone to do that!! AHHHH!

Guess I'll have to actually WORK today instead! hehe. Kinda good, since this stack of papers is really starting to grow. :-) Maybe I should forget my phone more often!

2009-07-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Mark and I were at the cabin Thursday through Sunday joining mom, grandma, grandpa and Jen for the 4th of July celebration. This was Mark's first time experiencing the Bass Lake fireworks (and our first time watching the fireworks together!) and I was so excited for him to be there. :-)

What a trip this was....

Along with the six of us, we also had four dogs. Duke and Daisy came up with Mark and I, as did Shadow (Jen's dog) and Chloe (mom's adopted dog). With that many dogs, you can imagine there was a bit of dog drama. Daisy came home with a few "war wounds", but she'll be okay, and we eventually figured out how to separate the dogs so the fighting ended. :-)

Friday we (Mark...I just watched) took the dogs down for a swim in the water and they did great. We had to keep them on leashes because they will run far, far away if we let them go...but it seemed like they were enjoying themselves anyway. I'll try to post a video...if I can figure it out. :-)

Saturday morning we slept in a little and picked up the boat that we rented around 10am (grandpa's boat was still broken). They gave us a great deal and we switched to a patio boat, so I could ride on it as well. I guess pregnant women aren't supposed to be riding on boats through choppy, bouncy waters... :-) We didn't take advantage of the boat much, other than to take it out for the fireworks that night. Next time we will definitely get some more boat time in! Here's Mark driving the boat...

The fireworks on the lake started around 9pm, and they were spectacular. Mark was kind enough to hold my camera and record a video of the grand finale, so I could take still pictures.I will try to post a video of that too! Though, nothing really compares to actually being there....the echo off the mountains after each burst is just incredible. Hopefully next year a few friends can come up to experience it as well...

Sunday morning after breakfast (which, like all meals up there, is always delicious), Mark and I headed home. The dogs, who were a little restless on the drive up, did great on the ride home. I think Mark and I will try to take them back up for a couple more overnight trips before the end of summer. We'll see!

Here are some more fun pictures from the trip:

2009-06-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Okay okay okay! I get the idea. I need to update. It's been two months...sorry!

I don't have time to update you with EVERYTHING that has been going on...so let me just cover a few important points. :-)

First, IT'S A BOYYYYY!!!! Yes, Mark and I are having a boy. We're super excited about it and are looking into room decor and all that fun stuff for our little one. We haven't come up with a name yet, just a list, and we will let you all know his name when he arrives and we have decided. :-) Only FOUR months left before our little one is here! Pray for healthy baby and mommy these next few months. :-)

Next, school is out and I'm still teaching...summer school. :-) Only six school days in and I'm already exhausted. Oh well! I signed up for it, so I can't complain much. Just keep telling myself....only 16 days to go, only 16 days to go.... Besides, if I wasn't teaching, I'd have all day every day free, and I'd be shopping and spending money on our little boy like crazy. :-)

Which reminds me...I was in Target the other day and found the cutest sleep-n-plays! I couldn't resist--and they were long sleeve, which is perfect for our little one arriving in October. See...good thing I'm teaching summer school!

I've started (this week) planning out meals for the week and shopping for everything all at once. It's nice! Though, I think we spend more money on food when I do it this way. Mark and I could easily eat out every night and spend less than I did at the grocery store on Monday! Okay, so I admit I bought a FEW extra things than what was on my list. But I can justify them. Like the pasta that I need for Thursday was 2 boxes for $3...I don't NEED two boxes for Thursday, but while they're on sale I figured I might as well get the extra box. Then I won't need to buy it next time. Right? I really think that's just smart shopping! :-)

What else....

I'll upload some new ultrasound pictures so you can see how the baby is growing. It's really pretty amazing! By the way, these are never-before-seen on the 'net pictures...they're not even on my FBook yet!

And I'm sure I have more news, but school is out and I need to head into town for my pedicure and some shopping. :-)

2009-04-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a while...and everyone reading this should know the big news by now. Mark and I are expecting our first child on (around) October 30th. And we are SOOOO excited! Here's our first baby picture (it's actually our second picture, but the first just looked like a peanut!):

I also requested to change to part time work next year. I'm hoping that my mom will retire in early January :-) :-) :-) (hint, hint mom) and be our child care from the morning until about 1130. I've requested to teach only 3 classes, so I would be finished at 1115 and can pick up baby Conrad from my mom and give her the rest of the day off. :-) We'll see how it works out.

So far all we've bought for the baby is a crib. Nothing else quite yet until we find out if it's a boy or a girl. I can't wait. :-) I have another appt in two weeks and then a few weeks after that we can go in for an ultrasound to determine if we're having a boy or a girl. Friends, family, and students want to know if I have a preference...but I don't really. For a while I wanted a boy first and then a girl, so the little girl would have a big brother...but who knows if we'll even have two!? When it comes down to it, I will be perfectly happy with a boy or a girl! And I'm praying for healthy!

I fall asleep a lot lately...so naps are becoming my favorite new thing. I think Baby Conrad is sucking all the energy right out of me. Last night Mark came home and told me NCIS was available on demand, so we decided to watch a couple of shows. Half-way through the first one we had dinner, and then I proceeded to lay on the couch and watch the rest of the show...apparently I fell asleep after that. Mark watched three more episodes while I was snoring away on the couch...what a sweet husband though, he just let me sleep. I think he knew I needed it!

I had leftover Superman macaroni and cheese last night for dinner. Just the Kraft stuff, out of the box. I love it. I want to eat it every day for lunch and every night for dinner. MMmmmm. Let the cravings begin!

Tonight I'm having a girls night with some of my neighbor moms. I'm excited. They know I'm expecting and that it's my first, so I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about. Next door is V with her two boys, down the street one direction is M with a little girl and another one due October 1st, and down the street the other direction is D with a boy and girl. We're going to get ice cream and just hang out at the ice cream shop for a bit. Fun and yummy. :-)

Speaking of neighbors. We have the best neighbors next door. The other night I heard V playing with the boys in the front yard, so I went out to say hi. Her oldest boy, A, loves me. She too asked if we wanted a boy or a girl. She said she wins either way, because a boy would mean her boys would have another friend to play with, and if it's a girl then her boys could have a girlfriend. lol. Then of course we joked about having to put barbed wire on the fence between our homes in 12 years. hehe.

Pics to come soon. :-)

2009-04-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tammy asked for an update...and since I'm on Easter Vacation right now, and really don't want to clean (like I should be) I thought I would oblige. :-)

Since our last update, it's been about a month. I have quite a few pictures to upload, but they're on Mark's camera and the battery is dead (and the charger is with him at work...I don't know why!). I promise to add them later! :-)

*Mark and I went to our first wedding as a married couple this past weekend. It was for Carmen (a coworker) and she made a good choice by sitting us near fun coworkers. I think Mark understands now why I love my job so much--there were lots of laughs and fun conversation at our table. The wedding was beautiful (though, the self-written vows were a little off-color and inappropriate), and Mark and I even managed to dance to one song before we left.

*I finally finished our Thank You cards from the wedding...today. Amazing, it took me less than four months. Etiquette says I have a year, and I laughed when I read that before the wedding--now I totally appreciate the fact that some people need a year! It's amazing how many things fill up your time once you're married. Who knew??

*Mark regrouted the tile in the downstairs bathroom, from brown to white, and it looks great. I think the kitchen is next, but that's a big project that he needs a whole day to tackle. He and I are planning a few more home improvements in the coming months. Among other things, we're hoping to paint both of the spare rooms a light neutral color, and maybe hang some of these photos that have been sitting since I moved my things in.

*We're also planning to have a yard sale. There are three tv stands in our living room right now, only one that we are actually using. We had his and hers, and now we have ours--so we need to get rid of the his and hers! Seems that way for most of our things, actually. We wanted to have the yard sale a few weeks ago, but couldn't get through the boxes piled in the spare room in time. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow on one of my last days off? It's okay though...time for some spring cleaning!

*I'm taking advantage of Easter vacation to spend some time with my girlie friends. Yesterday I had lunch with Breanne and her son Tyson--I hadn't seen them since....I think Christmas break! Friday I'm having lunch with my friend Duvi and her son Matthew. And Saturday, the much-anticipated lunch with Amanda! I don't think I have seen her since...the wedding? It feels that way, anyway. You'll have to remind me, Amanda...

*I'm really getting antsy and need a day/weekend out of town. Without dogs. Even just overnight would be fine. I had to get up twice last night to settle down the dogs because it was late and they were barking at...nothing, as far as I could tell. :-) They are almost a year old, so we are hoping that by two-years they are settled down, people-friendly, and don't try to lick our toes every time we wear sandals. :-) We have been taking them on walks, and Mark bought harnesses for them this week, and plans to (try to) run them this weekend.

Will update again soon...within two weeks! Promise! And will get those pictures up ASAP.

2009-03-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah okay, so it's been a few weeks since I blogged last. Does that mean nothing exciting is going on in the world of the Conrads? Certainly not. Just been keeping busy!

It all started with this...I wanted to replant my pothos, a plant that I've had for years. It just needed (as you can see) some new soil and a little love and care. So...Mark bought some potting soil and I took care of it.

Next thing I know we're putting rocks down on the side of the house, cutting down trees in the front yard, putting bark in to cover the ugly dirt, planting flowers and bulbs, and the list goes on. lol. Here are some landscaping befores and afters. Let me just be honest and tell you that Mark has done pretty much all of it. I chose the bark...I chose the flowers...okay, I trimmed the bushes in the front and made them pretty. Oh! And I OPENED the bags of bark for him... But everything else was all Mark--he's very motivated and excited about being able to work on the yard. My black thumb and I don't stand in his way, and of course I help in what little ways I can.

This is the yard before...or rather, during, the landscaping process. You can see that Mark is already busy playing in the dirt, and I've trimmed one of our buckets of ivy in the front yard so it doesn't look so overgrown. :-)

Mark playing in the dirt some more. Notice that nice little tree? I didn't like it there...so Mark asked if I wanted him to pull it out. Sure! He did. And then surprised me by replanting it in the back yard a little while later. (Update: Mark got home yesterday to find the tree in the back yard missing a few branches--thanks to those kids of ours, Duke and Daisy)

Here's the same front yard...without the tree, and with the bark! I love it. :-) A totally different "feel" to the entry now.

Here's the gardener...with his finished product. He is so proud of the work he did--and with good reason! I'm so thankful for him!

We planted a few more bulbs here, lillies, and I trimmed the tree and the bushes, and the ivy in the bucket. :-) I thnk we're going to end up barking this area too. I hope!

The entry yard with one of my mom's yard signs. It says "All things grow with Love". Mark and I are hoping the flowers we planted there will spring up in a few months!

Okay, some more fun pictures from the past few weeks. Here is my adorable husband and our "kids". :-) Daisy and Duke...they are about 9 months old and learning so quickly! Mark taught Duke to "shake" and "high-five" in about a thirty minute session last week. So amazing! Daisy is another story...we tell her to sit, and she does that well. Then she thinks she's done, so she lays down. lol. So lazy, that girl! :-)

Speaking of Daisy...here she is deciding whether or not she likes ice cubes. Chloe (my mom's adopted dog, formerly my dog) loves to eat ice cubes, so I thought maybe Duke and Daisy would too. Not so much...but check out her giant paw! We're hoping she doesn't grow into those. lol.

Mark and I went to the Fresno State baseball game with my mom, Jen, and grandma last Friday night. What a good game! Fresno won 3-2 BARELY...it was one of those edge of your seat games. And for Mark's first game, it was perfect. We plan to go back a few more times this season.

Ah, my silly husband...

No one has any doubt as to where my seat is in that stadium. :-)

And lastly...Kristin is in town right now for a wedding and Ashley coordinated a surprise birthday dinner for her last night. She thought it was just going to be me, Ash, and Carrie--but surprise! Leanna and Mandy were able to make it as well. :-) So fun...and yummy mexican food! MMmmmm. Here's a lovely pic of Kristin and I. :-)

2009-02-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

Mark comes home today after spending 10 days in Key West for work. I'm so excited...I'm miserable with a cold and stuffy/runny nose, and I cough occasionally...but I'm still so excited. :-) This weekend he has a three-day weekend, so I'm taking Friday off and we have big plans! We're going to work around the house ALL weekend and check some of those things off of our "to-do" list. Finally!

While he's been gone I've been hanging around the house doing not much of anything. I did manage to get out a little bit last weekend, which was nice. Last Friday night I went with Mom, Jen, and my grandma, to the first Fresno State baseball game of the 2009 season. Here are some pictures from the big game:

New banners that are permanent features at the stadium.

Last year's alumni throwing out the first pitch.

Me and my sister, enjoying mom's box seats behind home plate. Thanks mom!

Tommy Mendonca, probably the biggest superstar player on the team. He is amazing, and had earned all kinds of awards before the season even started!

I was also able to hang out with Ashley on Saturday...so fun! We had Panera Bread and saw a movie--He's Just Not That Into You...so good. I wish I could hang out with my girl friends more often!

2009-02-18T17:55:00.001-08:00

Views!

On my way home from work today, I took a little detour. :-) Here are some of my photos...I love this time of year! Everything is so beautiful!

2009-02-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

You're going to see a lot of pictures from now on. I'm doing a Project 365 and that means I have to take one picture a day. Fun! Here are a few that I've taken this month:

We finished yet another bag of dog food (man, these kids have bottomless stomachs) and Daisy wanted to play in the empty bag. So funny...glad I captured it!Duke, taking a nap on a warm Sunday afternoon. Normally the kids sleep together, in the garage on the same bed or together on the deck. This afternoon, Duke was out on the deck and Daisy was asleep on the bed in the garage. I told Mark, he said Daisy must have been mad at him and kicked him out. hehe. I'll have to remember that idea...
I love this picture of Mark. That beanie on his head, he threw it to me from the top of the stairs one night. He bought it for me at work because I've been asking him for a baseball cap or something similar with the squadron on it. Well...it's not EXACTLY what I wanted. lol. Kinda evil looking. But that's the Vigi logo (his squadron), and I guess they can't have pretty flowers or butterflies for Navy logos. lol. :-) It was a nice thought, but I think the beanie looks way cuter on him than it ever would on me. lol... And I think the Navy wives need to come up with a cute design and get our own hats!
And lastly...Mark left for another detachment on Valentine's Day morning, so we celebrated Friday night with a nice dinner and...him finishing packing his sea bag. lol. Oh well. But, knowing that he would be gone for V-Day, he did order these and had them sent to me that day. So sweet. He's never sent me flowers before...but I've always wanted him to! They made me smile...

2009-02-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

Here are our puppies, Daisy and Duke. They look so sweet, don't they? Just sleeping...quietly...peacefully...innocently...

When in fact, what they are REALLY doing is storing up energy for their next wild and crazy rampage.
Notice the half-chewed wooden duck and the once-beautiful now trampled and destroyed plants in the yard behind them...
Innocent...ha!
But we still love them. :-)
And they are learning! Mark was playing fetch with them with a tennis ball. It was going well for a little while! Here is Duke, bringing the ball back to Mark. Good boy, Duke! (I'm sure if we had been throwing two balls, Daisy would have one in her mouth as well!)

2009-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Mark is home! He came back last night after being on the boat for 10 days. It is so nice to have him home again. We went out to dinner for yummy Mexican food and then spent some time catching up back home.

Well, you've heard me mention over and over all the things that Mark has done around the house...replacing light fixtures, picking up the dog "gifts" they leave for us on the lawn, taking out the trash (without me asking him to), and surprising me when I got home one day by patching up a hole in the wall of the garage. He does it all with no complaints and even seems to find joy in it. It was definitely my turn to surprise him. Our bedroom was painted ugly green (the same as the rest of our ENTIRE house) and our bathroom has ugly green and orange stripes on it. We had been talking about redoing the area, but when? He works long days and is exhausted when he gets home, and our weekends are filled with other family and friends activities.

So...I decided to take care of it and surprise him. Last Saturday morning I invited some of my girl friends over for a "while he is out" project. Friday night Katie and I painted primer on the walls of the master bedroom and bathroom and then Saturday morning my mom, Jen, and Amanda and I all worked for hours to paint the bedroom walls. I spent the next few days decorating (I still need to hang pictures and other fun things on the walls) and the final result turned out BEAUTIFUL! No more ugly green! And Mark was so surprised when he came home last night...he really likes it. :-) Thanks again to those who helped!

Here are some pictures from the "while he was out" project:

2009-01-29T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's 6:08am and I should be getting ready for work, but I thought I'd update you instead. :-)

Mark left for the boat on Monday...I cried when I had to say goodbye. Yes, I know he will only be gone for a little more than a week, but there were tears anyway! I wonder if it gets any easier. I miss him. It's hard to sleep in a big empty bed again and be alone in a big empty home again. Actually, this seems strange to me. I was "alone" for 31 years before we were married, slept in a big empty bed and lived in an empty apartment. We've only been married for a month! So why is it so hard for me to have him gone?

Well anyway, here are some new pictures for you to enjoy. :-) First, I know I promised some pictures of the new tv stand, but I took the picture vertically and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make it look that way in my blog (stinkin Macs! I want my pc!). Sooo...we'll skip that for now. Instead, puppy pictures! Who wouldn't want to look at cute puppies...rather than a tv stand? :-)

Mark and I had a busy Saturday! We went to Visalia to buy a BBQ at Lowe's...but I forgot the 10% off coupon that would have saved us $50, so we decided to wait and just go to Costco instead. The puppies needed beds and my parents have always bought Chloe's beds there...so we thought we'd look. And we ended up buying two fluffy beds for the dogs, which they love. Here are a few pictures:

They haven't quite figured out that they need to sleep ON the bed....

Getting closer.....

Duke has got it down! He loves his new bed!

And yes, we bought them two beds but they sleep curled up next to each other on one.

Oh well! Pretty soon they will be too big for just one bed, so they will each have their own.

Since we bought them new beds, Mark wanted to give them a bath. They didn't like it much (we thought)...but they were cleaner! This is actually taken on Sunday--the day after the baths. They ran right up the stairs and hopped into the tub! It was really cute...
After costco on Saturday we went home, got the coupon, and went to Hanford to buy the BBQ. We ended up getting the floor model (they don't have anyone in the store to assemble BBQs on the weekends?!?!) and a great deal on it with the coupon and the floor model discount. My mom said that a BBQ is what my dad really wanted to give us as a wedding gift, so she gave us a gift card and we were able to put that towards the cost and get the kind of BBQ some men only dream about. My dad would be so proud. hehe. It has a bucket attached to one of the side shelves for ice and beer with a little tray for snacks, and even has a bottle opener attached to the front! Mark loves it, of course. :-) It's nice! On the way home, we discussed how having a BBQ has DOUBLED the amount of menu options for our meals now. Saturday night we BBQd for the first time...hamburgers. Mark did a great job (and it was nice to not be responsible for cooking for the night!). He loves his new toy! (Thanks mom!!)

Here's Daisy, sitting like a good girl...I think she is hoping something will fly off the grill into her mouth. :-)

And Duke...not as patient as Daisy. :-) He wants to see what smells so good!

2009-01-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

A few more pics from the Conrad household...

First, our new corner tv stand--we like it and it makes our room look SO much bigger! (I'll post a pic of that soon!) Here is Mark working on it...

By the way, that's MY drill he is using. :-) He bought it for me, but he seems to be the only one who ever uses it. :-)

Duke and Daisy learning to climb the stairs....going down....

...and up...over and over and over again until their little legs get tired. :-)

Duke thinks that is HIS couch. But they are primarily outside dogs...so coming inside is a TREAT and sitting on the couch is a SUPER treat (that has only happened once, because promptly after I took this picture he proceeded to chew on my pillow!)

Enjoying the treats our good friends Amanda and Carl gave the puppies...I think they were puppywarming gifts! hehe. Rawhides in the shape of toothbrushes. So funny because when they chew on them it actually looks like they are brushing their teeth!

Our loving Duke....

And our precious Daisy...

2009-01-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

So it's been just about a month...and so much has happened! I'm married now, to a wonderful man, we enjoyed a week-long honeymoon in warm, sunny Hawai'i, we've moved into our home and have started the long process of unpacking, and we have adopted two boxer/golden retriever puppies. They are adorable!

Here are some pictures from the past month.

The wedding
Jen, me, Ashley, Kristin - my girls!

Being a little silly, but I love this picture!!

the best man Carl, Mark, and another groomsman Brett "Woody"

the ceremony...someone told me that the sun peeked through just as the ceremony was starting! so pretty. the trees are why we chose this church.

fun picture of the wedding party AFTER the ceremony, and Woody on the floor--a funny guy :-)

our wedding cake!
with pine cones to go along with the outdoor wintery theme--the cake turned out SO great! I was very happy with it!

Mark and I at the reception

Mark and I, our first dance

Duey, Luey, and Huey, back together again! So fun!

The ADX girls in attendance. So fun to have everyone there together!

The honeymoon
Maui, we went on a sunset/whale watching cruise - and saw whales! :-)

Mark and I on the catamaran for the sunset cruise

Mark and I at a state park in Maui

Then off to Oahu! We stayed at Ford Island (Pearl Harbor), so we were able to visit the memorials from the Dec 1941 attack
Mark and I at the USS Arizona memorial

Me at the USS Utah memorial

The puppies
Daisy and Duke watching Mark rake

Daisy and Duke loving each other :-)

Mark holding Duke...who at the time of this picture weighed 36 lbs!

Dec 15

2008-12-10T10:47:00.001-08:00

Some pictures I wanted to share...

First, for those of you who can't make it to my wedding (IN FIVE DAYS!!!), here are a few pics of what some things might look like. :-)

This is ideally what my centerpieces will look like. Very wintery. :-)

This is what my cake should be similar to. We decided to not have a cake-topper. Instead, we're keeping with the winter theme and coordinating with the pine cones in the centerpieces. Imagine this cake, but white with navy blue ribbon around the base of each layer, and pine cone accents. Cute, I think. :-) Did I mention the cake is chocolate with tiramasu, and almond with apricot--yum!

Now, the new house! Mark and I got the keys the Friday before Thanksgiving, and we moved most everything in the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Here's what it looked like a few days after move-in:

Mark hanging temporary curtains in the dining room.

The living room area

Another view of the living room

Mark raking our backyard

The view towards the kitchen and dining room...me unpacking boxes.

And now, some updates that we have been able to accomplish so far...in addition to these, Mark and I have replaced the kitchen faucet and overhead light (with the help of my friend Amanda's husband!), and the dining room light. We're slowly turning the house into our home. :-)

First, a counter! It has been covered with boxes for so long that I had forgotten about it. :-) And our new fridge too. (We didn't have one...)

Second, the living room after MOST of the boxes have been unpacked.

Yesterday while we were in town for my dad's internment, Mark and I stopped by Osh and picked up new blinds for the living room to replace the ugly brown things that were hanging on the wall. The new ones look MUCH better!

And Saturday night, or maybe it was Friday night?, Mark and I painted the downstairs bathroom. Chocolate Froth is the color. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? :-) Doesn't look too bad either! I told Mark we need to choose paint for the rest of the rooms based on how yummy the name sounds. lol. Think that would work?

2008-12-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to update my blog for a week or so now, but every time I sit down to write, some chore or other responsibility pulls me away. I wasn't really sure how I was going to start this anyway. Or what I would say. But I feel like I need to say something...

My life has changed. My father has passed away. November 13, Ashley and I left for VA for what was supposed to be my last fun girls-getaway weekend before the wedding. Friday was great--we surprised Kristin while she was out to lunch (she had NO idea we were coming) with the help of her friend Troy. We went out to dinner that night and rented a movie...we were up so late! That night I also got a phone call from my mom that said my dad was in the ER for fluids and because his blood levels were off. She said that it was just overnight for observation and he would likely be released in the morning. Naturally I was concerned, but my mom sounded upbeat and positive, so I went on with my weekend. Saturday we planned to go to a local park and then to do some shopping. Rain (a downpour!) cut short our park trip so we headed to the mall a little earlier and then after a bit of shopping we headed home. I hadn't heard from my mom about my dad, so I called. They were still in the hospital and he wasn't being released, he was staying in another night. I thought this was a little unusual, but I still didn't sense any "get home right now urgency" in my moms voice, so I continued my weekend. We watched movies that night too and around 2am our time I got a phone call from the wife of my dad's best friend. She said "You need to come home now. Catch a direct flight and get home." I think I went into shock...I didn't know what to do. Ashley and Kristin took charge for me--they were amazing. If I had to be away from my family during this time, then God made sure I was with the absolute best people to help me get through. The girls prayed for me and my family, called the airline and got me out on the first flight leaving just a few hours later, asked all the right questions (if there was anyone they could call, etc), and on only about 3 hours sleep dropped me off at the airport. I was on the phone with Mark (it was 3am his time, he couldn't sleep at all back in CA) when he got a call from my sister. He clicked back over and I asked if everything was okay, he said she was going to call me right now and that he loves me. It was then, sitting alone in the airport at 6am, that I got the phone call from my sister. She said she was sorry, and that he was gone. March 11, 1952 to November 16, 2008. He was 56 years old and had just celebrated his 34th wedding anniversary to my mom a week before. And I am so thankful to have been able to spend 31 amazing years with him.

I got home around 745pm that night (about 8 hours later than my new flights were actually scheduled to land--it was a mess) and Mark picked me up and took me to my aunts house where my family was gathered. After a lot of hugs, mom made me laugh when she said they figured the first thing grandma told dad when she saw him was that he needed a haircut, and then told him to get his clubs so they could play a round of golf. lol. Are there haircuts and golf in heaven? I just don't know...lol.

So I keep asking why. Why while I was gone? I don't know, and I probably won't understand for a long time (if ever). But the same thing happened with my grandma (my dad's mom) about 8 years ago. I was in San Diego at a Campus Crusade Christmas Conference. The morning that I was scheduled to leave, my dad woke me up and said he was going to the hospital because my grandma had been admitted with chest pains. I asked if I should stay home and he said no, that it was a routine procedure and they did angiograms all the time. Three days later my dad called me and told me I needed to come home. I left a few hours later and she was gone before I made it back to town.

In any case, we're doing okay. Of course I took the next week off of work. I was going to go back on Thursday, but after being on campus for a few minutes on Wednesday just to drop things off, I realized I wasn't strong enough yet--everything was just too fresh. The next week, Thanksgiving was tough, but it was really nice to be able to spend it with family. I haven't seen Jen in a couple weeks, or even talked to her since she picked up her boyfriend, but I imagine she is doing about the same as me. I'm staying with mom right now, which is fun :-), and we both seem to have our moments. It's only been 3 weeks, and I have had encouragement from so many people, and was told that healing is going to be a long process. I'm back at work now and keeping busy with wedding, work, Christmas, and the new house. Life goes on...and I miss my dad.

Okay, that's really all I can write about that for now...I'll write more in a bit and I have some pictures to post. :-) Thanks for all your prayers. :-)

2008-11-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

I finally finished stuffing 90 wedding invitations, tied 90 bows, sealed 180 envelopes, bought 270 cute heart stamps at the post office :-), and dropped some invitations off at the post office on Friday, Saturday, and Mark is doing the final trip today... Our RSVP date is December 1, so they are going out late, I know. But I didn't get my envelopes back until last Tuesday--so it took me two days and they are finally on their way. :-) I can't wait to receive my first RSVP card. I'm excited to open them all up and see who is going to be able to join Mark and I for our big day!! We sent out about 90 invitations and invited a little under 180. Now there is only one problem...our reception site has a maximum capacity of 150! We figured because it's so close to Christmas, and cold and snowy in parts of the country, that our older out of state relatives might not want to travel...so we would be okay for numbers. BUT...Mark caused me to panic just a bit when he suggested that all of his out of state relatives might want to come to California for Christmas to get out of the cold! lol. Oh no! I guess we'll see how it works out! The more the merrier! We can squeeze everyone in. Who cares about some silly fire code anyway? hehe.

Speaking of the big day...a few fun numbers leading up to it...

2-3...days until the chocolate for the favors is delivered to us!

150...more bows I will have to tie to put the favors together...

8...days until my bridal shower at work. It's a school-wide bridal shower for me and two other math teachers, one who was married this summer, and one who is getting married the same day as me in December. So fun!

10...days until we (hopefully) close escrow on the new house and get the keys! Very exciting!

12...days until we take engagement pictures...as long as the photographer is available that day :-\

12...days until Kristin comes home!

13...days until my sorority bridal shower (thanks Ashley and Kristin!)

14...days until my first fitting for my wedding dress

2...number of pounds I've lost...good thing I didn't order my dress a size smaller!

20...number of pounds I'd like to lose before the big day...think it's possible?

17...days until Thanksgiving...yummy turkey!

0...number of pieces of pie or other desserts I will be eating at Thanksgiving

4...number of walks I will take on Thanksgiving after eating all that turkey!

18...days until we move everything in to our new home...we may need trucks and available helping hands.

35...days until my CSUF final exams

2...number of hours I've spent studying for my exams already

37...days until Kristin comes home again!

38...days until the girls get pampered with pedicures

39...days until the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

40...days until THE BIG DAY!!

So much to do! By the way, Mark and I looked around this weekend for a cake serving set and champagne glasses for the reception. They are so expensive! Any suggestions?

2008-10-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

As if I didn't have enough on my plate right now already...

Mark and I put an offer on this house on Friday, and after a short bidding war with the seller, our offer was accepted yesterday! :-) We are SOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!

The seller is requesting a 30-day escrow, and we sign papers today. Our realtor tells us that this could go very quickly--less than 30 days. We are hoping for a good report from the home inspector, with only minor and no major repairs, and that our loan information is processed without delay. If all goes well we could be moving in the weekend after Thanksgiving! (We may need some extra hands/trucks if you are available!)

On another note...the Italians arrived yesterday. The two teachers are staying with me until Sunday or Monday, then staying with another family until they leave on November 7th. They brought with them 17 students and I found each of the students a home with one of our SHS students. It has been great to have them here!

2008-10-22T15:06:00.001-07:00

I was just reading Tammy's blog and she mentioned that she is having an issue with dead flies in the window sills. It reminded me of a time not long ago...

One morning I woke up to about eight thousand flies in my apartment. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating--maybe there were only 10 or so. Don't ask me where they came from, I have no idea! I don't leave doors open, because my mom taught me early on that I wasn't raised in a barn. :-) Still, a LOT of flies and I couldn't seem to get rid of them all.

So, not knowing what to do and getting more and more irritated by those pesky things by the second, I called my mom for the solution. Of course she had one (moms are great for that!)--she said to open my sliding door and close the screen and see what happened. It was A-MAY-ZING!!! They all flew straight to the screen door and just kinda sat there! All I had to do was open the door and they flew right out. The end!

Just thought you might want to know...in case you have eight thousand flies show up in your home someday. :-)

2008-10-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

What emotional roller-coaster I have been on this weekend.

Update...

Dad went in for an appt yesterday afternoon and met with his doctor. Mom said the doctor told them that there was no evidence of a large tumor in his abdomen (the on-call doctor from Sunday apparently read the scan wrong), but that the cancer had spread even more. She didn't tell me exactly where it had spread, just said that there was a lot more in his abdomen. I asked if it had spread to his kidneys, she said no. I asked about his liver--it is still infected, and it's grown there too. :-(

The doctor is going to put together a new 'cocktail' for treatment and my dad will go in on Friday to find out what those new drugs will be.

Good news (besides the fact that there is no large tumor!) is that Mom said he is feeling and looking a lot better than he was when I saw him on Sunday. :-)

2008-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Mixed news...

I was going to give you the good first, but I might as well just give you the bad and follow it up with a ton of good. So first, the bad.
Mom gave me and Mark some news when we stopped by their place yesterday. Dad hadn't been feeling well for the past few days and that morning he was having an unusually hard time getting around. They were very concerned, so they called the doctor to check on a scan that my dad had on Friday. The doctor on-call read the scan and told my dad that he has a new big tumor in his abdomen. For the past few days it has made him extremely sick, he's not eating hardly anything, and he can barely walk. He is going in to the doctor today to find out if it's operable...keep him in your prayers please. And my mom...and me and Jen too.

Okay, now the good.

Saturday was my first bridal shower and it was wonderful. My aunt created a beautiful setting with table decorations and pictures of Mark and I and a delicious lunch. My family and a few friends were there, and it was so nice to see everyone again. Everyone was very generous and Mark and I were given many things that we requested on our registry! We are so thankful! Now we're in the process of boxing up most of the things until we have a house to use them in. :-)

Saturday night we had dinner with Amanda and Carl. So fun to catch up with them! Mark and Carl spent some time together while Amanda and I went to my bridal shower. I hadn't seen Amanda since the homecoming, so it was nice to spend some time with her (in the car on the way to and from the shower) and her husband. We ate at Sals...yummy!

Sunday was church with Ashley and then a little shopping afterwards. Then off to Mark's welcome home BBQ. On the way we had some errands to run, so we did those and then stopped by my parents house and got the news from my mom.

The BBQ was really fun. Mark had printed some of the pictures he took in the different ports and put them into an album for my family to look through. We BBQd burgers and watched the Red Sox game until the 5th inning. And all of a sudden what we thought would last only an hour or two, turned into a four-hour BBQ. I enjoyed it though!

About 20 minutes after I was home my cousin Whitney sent me a text message with a picture attached. It said "We carved pumpkins tonight!" and had this picture:

And of course she said YES! Yay! So she and Blake are engaged. I don't know if you remember or not, Blake was one of my students about four years ago, and I set them up. :-) They've been dating ever since and I'm really excited for them!

That's it for now...hopefully good news about my dad soon. Please pray!

2008-10-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Mark and I were able to see the Blue Angels this past Saturday in San Francisco. The show was amazing! We bought tickets for a cruise during the show, so we were out on the water as the jets were flying above us. I know what you're thinking...Mark just got off a boat for seven months where he was working on jets, wouldn't he be sick of this?? haha. He was a good sport about it. In fact, he said he wanted to take me because I have been talking about them for so long and it was a good opportunity for us to spend some time together just hanging out. Sweet.

Here are some pictures:

The crowds on Pier 39. WOW, so many people!

I'm glad we were on the boat!

The airshow.

Markie and me, on the boat.

2008-10-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

He's HOME!!! Here are some pictures from yesterday. :-)

Amanda, in front of her house, with the banner she had made for Carl.

Amanda and I at the hangar with our welcome home signs.

My mom and dad drove out for the homecoming too!

It was great to have them there.

Dad was my photographer--great pics! Thank you so much dad!!

They're here!!! The plane that brought them from San Diego, home.

Finally home!

2008-10-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

The closer Mark gets to being home, the crazier my life has become. I will have to remember this for his next cruise and plan some time to rest a few days before the homecoming.

For the past few weeks I've found myself waking up an hour earlier than I need to, just to get something ready at the apartment for Mark. I'll clean something, or wash something, or move something to a new place. I have been going to bed later too. Just when I think everything is finally finished and ready to go, I remember something else that I wanted to do for him. It seems like a neverending process! But the end is actually near...and I'm so excited!

This weekend I was able to spend some much-needed time with my girl friends. Mark will be home soon and though I will still want to make time to spend with my girls, I don't know where it will fit in between my classes, work, wedding planning, family time, and pre-marriage counseling. So this was a great opportunity for some girl talk and good laughs. :-)

Friday night was Amanda's birthday bash (okay, three girls at Panera and then shopping at Target afterwards...not much of a bash, but still so fun!). I'm so thankful for that girl--who knows how crazy I would have been halfway through cruise without her. She knows exactly what I'm going through with Mark being gone, and it's been so great to have her just a phone call away. :-)

Saturday was Cindy's wedding. Ashley and I left K-town around 10 and headed to LA. Cindy looked beautiful, and it was obvious that a lot of time and planning had gone into their big day. I hadn't seen Cindy in a few years, but it was still great to share such a special day with her and her family and friends. You only have one wedding! :-) Ashley and I headed for home around 8pm, listened to the Bulldogs lose on the way home :-(, and pulled in just after midnight, exhausted and ready for a good long nap!

I have a Stats test to study for now, then home to tidy up some more! Less than 48 hours left, and counting!! The next time I post something on here, he will be home!

2008-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Only good news to report :-)

My dad has been taking these new pills, the same thing that Sen Kennedy has been treated with. They seem to be working so far! :-) The doctor told my dad at his appointment yesterday that he didn't think there had been any new growth and he didn't want to see him again for a month. I think that's good news!

Things at work are going really well. I have about 120 students this year (compared to 170 last year) and my students are A-MAZ-ING. I have really been blessed with some great kids. My all-freshmen classes are by far my favorite, and they know it. They are good kids, bright, and have a work ethic that is just out the roof. They haven't yet been corrupted by the upper-classmen and their bad work habits. I'm trying to keep it that way. :-)

Also off to a good start are my Master's classes. I'm in the cohort through State and we meet once a week from 4pm to 10pm. I'm glad it's only once a week instead of 3 hours twice a week. We meet in Snger, so right after work I head over to the District Office for class. The profs drive out there and teach classes in our board room. It's really convenient, and saves us all (the students) on mileage, gas, and parking expenses. I also am enjoying the fact that I'm taking the classes with other teachers that I work with. It helps to have several people I know in the classes, to keep me accountable to doing my work, and to know that we are all going through this together.

Twice a week after school I'm also teaching adult ed. I wasn't going to, but when Mark comes home I will need to pay two rents and still pay for some wedding things, so this extra money is a necessity. It makes for a really long week, with late nights, but I also value my free time so much more now, and I'm so much more careful about how I spend that time.

Mark will be home in about half a month. :-) I'm trying to get things ready for him to live in the apartment, and that is taking up most of that little bit of free time that I was just talking about. When my sister moves out, the real work will begin. In the meantime, I'm just deep-cleaning everything (kitchen, baths, living room, etc) and going through some old paperwork that has been hanging around my closet since college. :-) I'm running out of time, but I'm still hopeful I will be able to get everything done in time!

2008-09-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mark is in port this weekend. He called me this afternoon and we talked for over an hour! His phone bill is going to be ridiculous this month, but it'll be the last one for years! And I tried to get off the phone...but it was so hard. :-) I kept saying "I should probably let you go..." and we'd agree to get off the phone, but then one of us would bring up something else and we'd end up talking for ten more minutes. lol. Man, I miss him so much. I hadn't talked to him for two weeks, but it felt like months. It was so nice to finally hear his voice and to hear him laugh--if only I could see the smile on his face to go along with the laugh! Soon, VERY soon! It's great to know that his homecoming is just around a few more corners. :-)

Have a great weekend, friends--and go 'Dogs!!

2008-09-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

30 days.

That's all I have to say. :-)

Okay, not really.

This past weekend was great!! Ashley had her 30th birthday party in Ktown Saturday morning. It was so fun! A whole table-full of ADX alum were there, and it was great to catch up with old friends that I haven't seen in a while. Kristin was even in town from VA!! I miss my VA friend. Too bad I have to wait until Thanksgiving for her to be back in town again. :-(

After the party I had to head out to Lemoore. We had the big First Kiss drawing at the FRG meeting. The FRG had been advertising it for months. Whoever won the raffle would win the grand prize of having their husband off the plane in Lemoore or the ship in SDiego FIRST (hence, giving them the First Kiss) before all the other guys in the squadron. WOW! Wives could buy raffle tickets or just show up at events and "earn" one with their presence.

I had "earned" four.

But before the deadline to buy tickets passed, I went ahead and bought 20 more. Why not? I figured I would share them with Amanda and Kristy, my two Navy wife friends. :-) So, Amanda and I went to the meeting (Kristy had to work), and I split my 20 tickets with her. The FRG Pres chose the two winners for the drawing--one for SDiego and one for Lemoore. Neither of us won. :-( But then they chose four other people from each group to win gift cards. Amanda and I both were chosen to win the gift cards--she won with a ticket I gave her! Yay! Well...then they said that we could keep the gift cards or choose a "second option". I chose the other option...Amanda chose the gift card...and they told us that if we chose the other option then we would get a First Kiss too! That means Mark is going to be one of the first guys off the plane when they come home! Yay!!

So, then they pulled the gift card bag out and showed it to the girls who wanted the gift card option, and it was empty. :-( We thought Amanda wasn't going to win anything (because she chose a gift card), but then they said that those people who opted for the gift cards would win First Kisses too!! So, they tricked us, and they really had FIVE first kiss winners from SD and FIVE from Lemoore. So both Mark AND Carl (Amanda's hubby) are going to be two of the first five guys off the plane. :-) SO EXCITING!!

Apparently when FRG Pres asked the CMC (Command Master Chief) for one guy to get off the plane and ship first for the First Kiss prize, he said he could do better than that, and said he would give us FIVE from each location. Yippeeeee!!! I like that CMC guy...someone needs to give HIM a kiss for us! :-)

I'll write more and update you on life soon. :-) My plate isn't full right now...it's about to overflow! Keep me in your prayers!

2008-08-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello from the lake! I'm up here just for a bit longer, but it was so nice to come up for the night. My parents, sister, and grandparents are up here too, so it's been great to hang out and relax a bit. How cute is my puppy Chloe?? She's all grown up!

So...I just read my last post and I realized how depressing it sounded. Sorry about that. I found out what happened though. Email was shut off for four days for two reasons; first, because they had "special visitors" on board the ship and security was super tight (Here's an article from the NYTimes). And second, because the ship was transiting through an area where it could potentially be dangerous for the bad guys to know they were there. Whatever it takes to keep those men and women safe...I'm okay with it!

Mark called me on Friday from his port and we talked for about 30 minutes. It was SO GREAT to hear his voice again! It had been almost two months. :-(

And...THEY ARE COMING HOME!! I'm so excited. :-) I can't tell you what day on here :-) but it's just around the corner!

Okay more good news...my aunt, sister, and mom are going to throw me my first wedding shower and we've scheduled it for October 18. Since Mark will be home, we're hoping to make it a couple's shower and invite husbands and boyfriends too. That way Mark can get a taste of wedding traditions, but still be able to hang out with the guys. :-) My aunt asked me to come up with a theme...does anyone have any cute/fun ideas?

Don't forget, Fresno State plays Rutgers tomorrow at 1pm! Go dogs!!

2008-08-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Should be going to work....but instead I'll write a bit real quick.

Being a Navy fiancee is tough! Especially when email is shut off...like it is now.

I haven't heard from Mark since Sunday morning. So that makes....72 hours without "talking" to him. :-( I was disappointed at first, I thought maybe he didn't have time to write to me Monday morning...and then Tuesday morning...and now Wednesday morning...

But I realized after talking to two other wives and receiving an email from the FRG, that it's not just him...it's everyone on the ship. No one can send email out for 2-3 days!

Besides, I know if he COULD write to me, he would. I just need to hang in there for a bit longer... I just miss him!! Only 44 days to go... :-)

2008-08-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday my family went to a movie together. We saw Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3D! I thought for sure it was going to be cheesy...but it was actually pretty good! If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Very cute. :-) We even got to keep these SUPER cool 3D glasses!

For a long time, I'd been planning to go to the coast this weekend. My initial plans were changed just a bit, but I had such a great time anyway!! My parents drove over early Saturday morning and then me, Ashley, and my sister drove over around noon. It was BEAUTIFUL! About 30 degrees cooler there...and a little fog...so we spent a ton of time on the beaches. Saturday afternoon we spent at the beach in Cambria, then mom and dad treated us to dinner together on Moonstone Beach Drive.

This morning my dad and I fixed breakfast--pancakes, sausage, eggs--and then we all drove down to Morro Bay.

We did some rock hopping around Morro Rock, then spent a little bit of time on the Embarcadero. Check out this funny series of pictures with the sea lion...

School starts on Thursday, but we report back for meetings tomorrow. Ah...summer is officially over. :-( Oh well! It was a great summer, I enjoyed all my vacations, the big trips and the little ones, and I'm looking forward to what the next few months bring me!!

P.S...54 days...but who is counting? ;-)

2008-08-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Two more pictures from Mark today. This first one is of the "green shirts" who showed up for the picture. See if you can spot Markie-Mark. :-)

This second picture is of the squadron--well, all the guys who showed up for the picture anyway. Some of them may have been sleeping still...
So...Monday afternoon I was sitting on my couch watching tv, trying to relax a bit for my last few days of summer vacation. I really wanted to go out and DO something... BUT, Ashley was on her cruise. Amanda was at work. Jen was at work. Jewely was probably still sick. Breanne was spending time with her new baby boy. Kristy was at work. Mom was at work. Mark is on the ship. And suddenly the thought ran through my mind..."Vacation stinks. I'm bored...when is school going to start again?" lol. I must be crazy.

Wednesday and Thursday were my favorite days this week. Wednesday I spent almost all day with my dad. He came out here to drop off his car, so we had breakfast together, then drove to Visalia to hit golf balls and do some price comparison shopping for a new tv. Around 4pm I dropped him off at the car dealership and headed into town to meet my cousin Whitney for dinner at Panera Bread (they have one in Clovis now!). We ended up sitting and talking for 3 1/2 hours!! Lots to catch up on, and I asked her (and called her sister and asked her too!) to be the guest book attendants and be in charge of the gift table at my wedding. They were excited. :-) Thursday I spent most of the day with my dad again. We visited with both sets of my grandparents, let Chloe (the dog) have a quick swim in the pool at 'the farm', and then took her home so we could do some shopping. I like shopping with my dad. :-) We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so that I could get some "closet organization" pieces, and then we went to Best Buy--yes, more tv shopping. My parents and I met my sister for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (yummy) and then ran over to David's Bridal so Jen could try on the dress that I FINALLY decided on for the bridesmaids. She looked great!

After those two days, I kept Friday pretty low-key. I worked in my classroom from about 10am until almost 3pm, organizing and cleaning. I have meetings Mon-Wed this week so I'll probably spend an extra hour there each day to finish getting things organized. School doesn't start for 2 1/2 more weeks, but with everything that's going on this semester, I need to be ahead of the game!

PS Less than 2 1/2 months until Markie-Mark comes home!! I can't wait!! :-)

PPS Mom and dad bought a new tv yesterday! Guess all that comparison shopping paid off. :-)

2008-07-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest pictures from Mark on the ship. :-) Sometimes I get random pictures and I'm not really sure what they are...Navy stuff! Mark said they were replenishing supplies on the ship this day, so not much flying (or working!) going on. :-) Good, they need some down time once in a while...those guys work such long hours every day. I can't imagine working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for SEVEN MONTHS straight!! No weekends, and a port only once every six weeks to two months. I couldn't do it...I'm so thankful for those who are willing though! Please keep those boys (and girls!) in your prayers these last few months... :-)

And yes, his hair is LONG in these and no mustache. Yay! :-) He promptly got a haircut the very next day, and I'm still waiting for a new picture with the new haircut. Hopefully I will get one soon! (hint hint hint...)

These next few pictures are from the halfway party for the squadron. It was a Luau for the wives and children--so fun! And these girls are so much fun to spend time with! I'm so thankful for Amanda and my new friend Kristy!!

Amanda, me, Kristy...on our way out of the party... :-)

2008-07-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

So...without Mark here I thought I would be struggling to find things to do. But that hasn't been the case, for the most part. Of course I've been doing my fill of housework, and the wedding is taking up quiet a bit of my free time (that deserves a whole separate post for itself :-) ). Besides that though, I've been keeping busy with family and friends. I'm so blessed to have my family and such great friends nearby!! Here's a bit of what I've been up to...

On the way back to the cabin from Sunday brunch the weekend of the 4th of July...a big giant car made an illegal turn in front of me. :-( Poor Mark's car.

The next Saturday, Ashley and I went to Ikea. :-) I figured that would be a great place to look for centerpiece ideas and I think I may have come up with something fun and festive!

And then we stopped by Alameda on the way home to have lunch with my friend Brad. I hadn't seen him since last summer so it was great for the three of us to catch up. And OF COURSE we had to stop by the beach!

Still at the beach...hmmm.....

When I got home from our road trip, there was a package waiting for me. My birthday gift from Mark's parents. A table runner with grapes because they know Mark and I enjoy wine. Two handmade dish cloths. And a bread basket with a warmer cloth...I absolutely love that bread basket!! Isn't the fabric cute!?

One afternoon Ashley and I stopped by the church where I'm getting married to take a few pictures...I forgot to make an appt and the church was locked, so these are the best pics I could get. I think the grounds are so pretty. :-)

The next night Ashley and I tried to watch Shawshank Redemption and put together a baby gift for Deborah...we didn't get very far in the movie, but we had a great time creating this gift! Isn't it adorable??

A few nights later was my family birthday party. Here's my birthday cake. Chocolate with tiramasu filling...just like part of my wedding cake will be! Yum!

Mom and dad

Mom, dad, and me

Mom, me, and my grandma

Dad and me

Last night, my friend-birthday-dinner night :-) Thanks to Ashley, Breanne (and Dallen and Tyson), Jewely, Paul, and Sarah for taking time out of your busy schedule and in some cases driving over 45 MINUTES (each way!) to celebrate my birthday with me! You made my day so special!

Me and Jewely...amazing how cute we are, even out of focus. ;-) hehe.

Me and Paul, an old friend from church.

Ashley trying to give me a birthday kiss on the cheek! Silly girl...hehe.

Part of Jewely's birthday gift to me...WOW, so perfect!! She knows me SO well! hehe.

Also...I finished summer school last Thursday and am on vacation for two weeks before I have to go back to work for a couple of workshops, and only a month until school starts! Ashley invited me to exercise with her ANYTIME, so I've been meeting her and two of her girl friends in the mornings at 545 (ugh!) to go walking, and today will be my first evening at the gym as well. It's killer, but I know I need to get back into shape before Markie-Mark comes home!

2008-07-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

We were out in the boat on the lake for the fireworks show tonight, along with hundreds of other boats. It was incredible! The only thing that could have made the night any better was if Mark could have been here to share it with me. I hope next year!

Here are just a few of the pictures I took tonight. Thanks to dad for driving the boat! Don't forget to click on the pictures and make them bigger!

2008-07-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

We're at the lake for the 4th of July, and I'm very happy to report that the boat is working and runs like a champ. 'Bout time! For the last four years we'd been waiting on my grandfather to replace the windshield so we could take it out into the water--FINALLY this year it was done! But when my dad and gpa launched it Wednesday morning, it overheated quickly and was dead by the time they got to the dock. However, after two days of thinking we were going to have to watch the fireworks from the shore, gpa went down this morning and to everyone's surprise, it started right up! We took it for a spin around the lake this afternoon, and you'd really never know it was 50 years old! My grandpa takes amazing care of that boat, and it's in good shape. Here are some pictures... My 4th of July flip flops...Old Navy, of course!
One of the cabins decorated for the 4th.
Meeeeeeeeee, so happy to be in the boat again. Can't wait to see the fireworks tonight!!
Mark...this is for you. Can we buy a boat that goes fast like this?? :-)
Funny story with this last picture. I guess the guys in the boat thought I was taking a picture of them, when really I was just waiting for their boat to catch some air (like the pic above) so I could show it to Mark. In a couple of the pictures they were waving at me and smiling (like the pic below). haha. My new friends! So funny...

Can't wait to post some fireworks pictures from tonight! Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

2008-06-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

My sister and I are long-time bulldog baseball fans (I've had season tickets for 19 years...since 89!! I feel so old...lol), so we didn't think twice before making arrangements to be at the parade this afternoon. If you're familiar with the area, the parade started at the park on campus, came all the way down Barstow to Cedar, and then made a left and headed into the baseball parking area. They finished the evening inside Beiden Field with an introduction and many, many well-deserved ovations for the players. Unfortunately, Jen and I couldn't attend that part of the celebration. But...the parade was great! Here are some pictures...so many people were there! It was incredible...

2008-06-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Fresno State is playing for the College World Series championship. How completely awesome is that? First time ever in the history of Fresno State baseball, that they've made it this far. And doing amazingly well considering they are MAJOR underdogs! We'll see how it goes from here...Monday gametime is at 4pm (west coast time!). I'd say 'go dogs', but if you've been following the games then you know that they are playing Georgia...who are ALSO the bulldogs...so instead, I say "Go Fresno!"

Some new news...first, a new baby. My friend Breanne had the cutest little baby boy on May 28th. Tyson Jace...so they can call him TJ. I saw him a week after he was born and wow...so tiny. I haven't held a baby that small since Thomas was born--so long ago! Can't wait to see him (and Breanne!) again!

Also new news, and not so good news...Mark's mom has breast cancer. They found it early, so it's looking positive right now. She has surgery in early July and then radiation treatment after that. We're very hopeful! Please pray for her! And I will keep you updated.

Not really news but I thought it would be fun to talk about anyway. I had dinner with Deborah last week and it was super fun...other than the fact that I was sicker than a dog (I never did understand that expression), my nose was running (for miles), I had to use all my strength to pull myself off the couch, fight-off the effects of the nyquil I had just taken, and change into my regular clothes and out of the tank top and pajama bottoms that I had been in for the last three hours. It was definitely good to see her and catch up and hear about the baby girls (that are still in her tummy)!

And last new news...summer school is going super-well. One week down and four to go. Or maybe I should say 5 days down and 17 to go? That sounds so much shorter than four weeks. lol. Though, I have to admit I have a great group of kids right now and I'm not eager for them to move on yet. They are all very motivated, work quietly even when I don't ask them to, and so far everyone is passing. I can only hope that the last four weeks (17 days!) run just as smoothly!

2008-06-16T12:38:00.001-07:00

After a very long day of traveling yesterday...I am so thankful to be back in California. :-)

We had a few inconveniences on the way home, but of course it was all the kinds of things that come with traveling...and I guess I have traveled enough now to just accept that it happens and not really let it get to me. To give you an idea...

In Mexico, they looked through our luggage before we even checked in. Thinking back on it now, I'm wondering if maybe they don't have x-ray machines to scan the luggage. Who knows? They weighed the suitcases, and we were both over 50lbs, so we had to take our Mexico boyfriends out of our suitcases and leave them there (haha) and pull out a few heavier items and put them in our carry-on. Then we went through the "normal" security screening...no problem...and found our gate as the VERY LAST ONE in the terminal. Then AGAIN as we were boarding they checked our carry-ons for water and soda...no liquids could be taken on the plane. So strange--even if we had purchased them after the security screening, we still couldn't take them. Mexico is funny.

Our flight left late (because of that extra security check), but the pilot came on and said he was going to 'burn a little extra fuel' to get us there early so we could beat a couple other BIG flights coming in at the same time. As promised we landed (after an EXTREMELY choppy decent into Denver) a few minutes before our initial arrival time. We were thankful to have been ahead of schedule, we breezed through customs and found our next gate (which again, happened to be the VERY LAST ONE in terminal B) with relative ease. Delayed. Delayed again. Our flight was scheduled to arrive in Fresno around 7pm...and we were in by 8pm.

Yes, one more inconvenience...we waited around the baggage claim...and waited...and waited...until there were no bags left. The nice lady at the counter told us our luggage was on the plane scheduled to arrive at midnight. Lovely. How can our flight be delayed an hour and then our luggage not make it in time? So strange. The nice thing is, they have a service that will deliver your lost/late luggage to the address of your choice. So my dad called just about an hour ago to let me know that it had arrived at their house. Yippeeeee!! And, because I had to put all my bathroom necessities in my checked luggage, I was super-happy when Jen shared her shampoo, conditioner, a blow dryer, and a comb so I could get ready for work this morning. :-)

Anyway, determined to not let that experience ruin my trip, I re-read the blogs that I posted while I was in Mexico and WOW! I had a heck of a good time! haha. Hope you guys enjoyed reading about my trip...I'm so thankful to Amanda for asking me to take the trip with her! And I can't wait to go back someday! :-)

2008-06-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday now, our last full day in Mexico. It's also 11am and I just got out of bed. :-) I guess this is another sleep-in-do-a-little-shopping-and-just-kinda-lounge-around-all-day day. Fine with me! Yesterday was a long day. We got up at 8, intending to take the 930am water-taxi in to PV. Well, when we got to the dock, there was no one else waiting for the service, and they wouldn't take a boat into PV without at least four passengers. So, the nice man told us that if we did the Jungle Canal Tour at 930, then he would give us the water-taxi free at 11. DEAL!

So the jungle canal tour we were supposed to see crocodiles, iguanas, birds, and dolphins...and we did see iguanas, birds, the nose of a crocodile, and dolphins (in a pool that people were swimming in lol). It was nice and relaxing though, riding down the canal for 90 minutes in a boat, looking for the creatures. And of course...I took pictures. :-)

Here Amanda and I are relaxing in the boat.
This is the canal we were traveling on. Pretty!
Here's a bird, I think an egret, just taking off to flight.
Some other pretty birds...I don't remember what they're called.
These are BLACK iguanas, the aggressive kind--we didn't get close enough to say hello. :-)
These guys were hanging out in the trees everywhere along the water--very cool!

So after the jungle tour we did the water-taxi in to PV. We spent most of the day there, had lunch, did some shopping (great deals at the flea market!) and then came back on the 3pm water-taxi. Here are some pictures of the trip in an out of PV, and some of our time in PV too!

This ride was a little more choppy, not the gentle cruise around the canal. So we had to wear life vests. Don't I look BEAUTIFUL?? :-)
Here's PV from the boat on the way in to the dock.
Here's one view of the beach in PV as we got a little closer.
This sculpture reminded me of Mark. A fisherman. :-) Though, when Mark and I go fishing we never really catch anything. lol.
After we came back to the hotel, we rested for a while, I took a nap and Amanda started reading a new book. Then we went downstairs and had dinner outside at one of the restaurants. We had blue sky all day, so we were anxiously awaiting a beautiful sunset--and we got it! What a great finale for our trip. :-) It was beautiful...here are some pictures.

2008-06-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday...we didn't do much. :-) Just kinda relaxed around the resort all day. This was my view for about three hours of the day...hehe. We finally saw our first significant amount of blue sky...and it lasted about an hour. And with blue sky...came the sun! So wonderful! Hope we are able to see some more of that today. It's 9am here on Friday and Amanda and I are just about on our way out the door. We're going in to Puerto Vallarta (remember your geography lesson??) again to do some more shopping. :-)

2008-06-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

(If you haven't figured it out yet, clicking on the pictures will make them bigger so you can see them a little better!!)

FINALLY!! A day with no rain. :-) We were blessed today with amazing weather, and we certainly did our best to take advantage of it. Amanda and I spent much of the day in Puerto Vallarta. Now, just to clarify, we are staying at a resort in Nuevo Vallarta, which is actually in the state of Naranyit, Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. So when I say we are going into Puerto Vallarta, it means we hopped on a bus and went to a completely different state...a state that's only about 20 minutes away! That's your geography lesson for the day. (Totally free of charge...you can thank me later) :-)

Here are some of our pictures from today. Starting with our lovely alarm clocks. These little guys live right downstairs (next to the tigers) and are kind enough to make sure we wake up every morning...though I have to admit we ignore them most of the time. :-)

Here is a picture I took of Puerto Vallarta. I guess you could call this the embarcadero, it runs right along the water. So pretty!
Me at Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. The food was yummy. :-)
Some of the fun things we saw in PV...the sand sculpture--awesome!
A couple of little boys were working together to balance rocks. This is what they had when we walked by. Pretty cool!
Our favorite place in Puerto Vallarta...STARBUCKS!! And our first one of the trip. :-)
Dinner tonight was Western themed, so afterwards we went upstairs for a show with dancers, horse-racing, and line dancing--yes, Amanda and I danced! But trust me, even if we HAD pictures of that you wouldn't want to see them. haha. Here's the horse racing...
The cool lasso-man. We saw him at the show Monday night too. This guy is amazing.
Tomorrow is a very low-key day on the beach. Can't wait to relax and enjoy a good book! Hope the weather cooperates!

PS See Amanda's blog for more details from today!

2008-06-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

The entrance to our resort area...

ROAR!!! This guy lives downstairs from our hotel room.

Taking pictures again...this time on the beach. This was in-between downpours. :-)

Pretty flower...

WOW! Food prices in Mexico have really skyrocketed!! $52 for a big mac??? CRAZY!! (Click on the picture to see the prices a little bigger)

Amanda on the balcony...tonight, after the rain!

Jerelyn on the balcony...tonight after the rain!

PS...Confession: The prices are really in Pesos...so it's $5.20 US. :-)

2008-06-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well it's 12:00 in the afternoon here in Nuevo Vallarta and you might wonder why we're not down on the beach enjoying the warm ocean breeze and relaxing under an umbrella....well, because it's pouring outside. Not just raining...but POURING. So we're trying to figure out what people do exactly when it rains around here. We had planned to go into Puerto Vallarta and do some shopping, but that would require walking for hours around the downtown area, and as I just mentioned, it's POURING. So that won't work. :-)

So while we're thinking of fun things to do that are inside...I figured I would post some more pictures from yesterday. We spent a couple hours on the beach and walked out into the warm water. Then last night we had an amazing dinner. Every night there is a "theme dinner" that you can purchase tickets for...you get dinner and then a show afterwards. Last night was our Mexican Fiesta. Very fun! Mucho fun! On to the pictures...

Amanda putting her feet in the water.
Me relaxing under an umbrella, reading a book.
My first pina colada of the week. :-)
Fun in the sand.
On our way to the Mexican Fiesta...the nice man who took our picture made Amanda wear this hat...cute!
The dancers from the show last night, after dinner.
And the mariachi band that accompanied the dancers.

2008-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hola, from Puerto Vallarta!

Here are some pictures from our trip so far. We made it safely, after our 3 1/2 hour flight turned into a 6 hour flight! Weather was bad in Puerto Vallarta, the clouds were thick and it was drizzling so much it was near-foggy. So we had to divert to Mazatlan to refuel and then wait for about an hour (with whiney parents and anxious, rambunctious kids) before we could try to land in Puerto Vallarta. The first try didn't work (and frankly, scared us pretty bad) but the pilot went around and tried to land from another direction and finally we were in Puerto Vallarta! And I have to say, it's beautiful here!! I will be updating this as often as possible with pictures of our adventures, and stories to go along with them. Check out Amanda's blog too!

This first picture is from dinner last night. Fresh salsa and tortilla chips. We found this little place in the mall and the food was really good. My tacos looked like the ones from taco trucks around Sanger, but they were SO good!

Pretty...from our plane on the way to San Francisco.

Waiting...in Mazatlan. Even HE was bored waiting for us to leave. hehe.

One of the pools at the resort...this is the "quiet pool".

The beach! This is the private beach for our hotel.

The view from our balcony this morning...

The view from our balcony last night...

2008-06-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Finished! I turned in my grades, cleaned up my classroom, and checked-out with the front office! I'm officially finished with my 6th year of teaching. :-) Now I have a week off...then five weeks of summer school. The fun never ends with me...hehe. But I don't mind...it's what I love to do!
This afternoon I checked my teacher's mailbox in the front office and found this. Unsigned. No idea who it was from. But it had my name on it so I knew it was meant for me. I just wished that I knew who to thank. I spent the afternoon and evening racking my brain trying to figure out who it could be... When I got home tonight I had an email from one of the Italy parents. The gift was from their family. So nice. So unexpected. So generous. So undeserved! But appreciated, of course. It was the perfect way to end a long and somewhat exhausting school year. :-)
Tonight was graduation at SHS. It was a beautiful night, perfect weather for an outdoor graduation ceremony. Teachers are assigned different roles for the ceremony and this year I was fortunate enough to be a graduate supervisor. This simply meant that I sat on the edge of one row of graduates and made sure they didn't get out of hand, blow up any beach balls (or other inappropriate inflateable objects), or disrupt the ceremony in any other manner. They were great! Here is a picture of me and some of my kids after the ceremony.
Amanda and I leave for Mexico first thing Sunday morning and will be gone for a week. Of course I haven't finished packing yet! :-) But that's okay...I have tomorrow still. hehe. I'm so excited for the vacation, and looking forward to spending a week relaxing and NOT thinking about school!

2008-06-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

I snapped this on the way to work this morning...so pretty!

2008-06-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Two quick things real quick...

First, if you want to make a new teacher cringe, say the word "bitsa" to them. It is how we pronounce the acronym BTSA, which stands for Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (Induction Program). I promise a reaction from the teacher that is not pleasant. This is a picture of my Professional Induction Portfolio for BTSA: two years of assignments...countless lesson plans, weeks worth of professional development, analyzing data, writing essays and too many reflections, assessing students, and gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence. You'd think I was writing my thesis! The people who coordinate this program tell us to keep the portfolio, to use it when we interview for jobs. I'm sorry, but do you know any principal or panel of teachers who is going to have time at an interview or even WANT to look through all that? Yuck. In the end, it's just a binder full of paperwork that I will get back in a few weeks and it will sit around and collect dust for the rest of it's life (which won't be long...Mark and I will need something for our fireplace this winter! hehe). What it means though, is that I've cleared my credential and am now up for tenure. So that's nice!

This second picture is one that Mark sent me today. He was on patrol duty walking around the mall in Dubai. This picture was taken in front of the ski slope that they have INSIDE the mall. Pretty cool, eh?! :-) I'm still not a fan of the mustache...but what can I do? :-) I miss him!! Only 4 1/2 months left!!

2008-05-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Mark has been sending me pictures while he's out on cruise. Here are just a few. The first two pictures are from the ship--some sort of exercise. The next three were taken in Singapore. The last three are pictures he took from the flight deck near Dubai. He PROMISES the mustache will be gone before he comes home, that it's "just a gulf thing".

This last one is of Carl (Amanda's hubby) and another guy (Coles) doing a little shopping. :-)

Bass Lake

2008-05-24T20:19:00.001-07:00

Amanda and I went to Bass Lake for the day today. She had never been up there before (and you know how much I like to play tour guide!) so I had this WHOLE great day planned out. We were going to spend a day in the sun, walking around the Peddler's Fair, taking in the great views from the dock at the lake, and then eating some yummy Mexican food on our way out of town. Funny...that was MY plan...but click *here* to find out what actually happened.

She already put up several photos...here are some from my camera. :-)

2008-05-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Mark is going to be in port again soon. This is his second port, and if it's anything like the first he'll be calling me several times over the next few days. I'm so excited already!!

Every time I start to miss him (I miss him every day, constantly...but I mean REALLY miss him) I look around for "pieces" of him, some little reminder. Like, photographs of him or us in my apt or photo albums, or notes he wrote to me, or little gifts he gave to me, or old text messages that were super-sweet that I saved to my phone...like this one. I was looking through old texts and decided this is my favorite of those I have saved. He sent this to me while I was in Italy, just a few days before he left for cruise:

I think I texted him to say that I'd emailed him. He replied...and it makes me smile every time I read it. Oh just so you know, we were engaged when he sent this--we just call each other "girlfriend" and "boyfriend"...and we probably will for a while! At least until something cute like "honey" or "sweetie" or "hotstuff" starts to stick. It's a hard habit to break...and it's kinda cute. :-)

Have I mentioned lately...5 months to go! Less than that now!

baseball

2008-05-18T20:06:00.001-07:00

So it's been about two weeks or so since I wrote last...not much has happened. :-)

Mother's day was nice. I went to the last FSU baseball game with my parents and of course I had to slather on the SPF 50 and use an umbrella to block the sun--dad's orders. It was strange to be back there again...I hadn't been to a game in years. But other than the crowd being abnormally small (mothers day and about 90 degrees), nothing had changed. It was great.

Yesterday I went to another baseball game. One of the students that I took to Italy came to my classroom after school on Friday and handed me an envelope. I opened it to find four tickets to Sunday's Grizzlies game. Fun! Except that it was going to be 101. I struggled with the option of not going for a while, but when I checked the website to see what the promotion was and saw that Will Clark was going to be there signing autographs, I started to get super-excited.

I remembered that one of Mark's favorite players growing up was Will Clark. So I dug through all my old baseball cards to find my Will Clark cards--I had four. The game was scheduled for 2:05 but by 1:00 when Katie and I got to the ballpark, there was already a line for autographs (which were not scheduled to start until 2:15!!). We stood in the 101 degree shade for TWO AND A HALF hours but finally made it to the front of the line...

...and then went up to watch the game. :-) So fun!

2008-04-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

I have a new friend. Her name is Amanda. She is WON-DER-FUL. You can read her blog here. Amanda's husband Carl is out on the ship with Mark right now, so we have been trying to keep busy without the boys. So far, this has involved going to a "wives" event on the base, hanging out with her ferocious but still adorable puppy (hehe), going to dinner, doing a little shopping, and of course spending way too much money but justifying it because it's going towards fun gifts to send to the guys on the ship.

Our last gift I can tell you about because as far as I know Mark never reads this thing anyway. :-) We wanted to send the guys something for Cinco de Mayo--gifts take about 3 weeks to arrive. So we had this GRAND (or maybe I should say "grande"!) idea to find a pinata, fill it with candy, and then add a few more fun Cinco de Mayo-ish items.

After hours (literally) of shopping at Target and WMart, we finally were able to track down the following items, package them, and I shipped them off yesterday. :-)

two obnoxious sombreros that we look absolutely beautiful in (picture to follow soon)
chips (the scooping kind)
salsa (for the scooping chips)
jar of jalapenos (trust me the guys will love them)
the cutest bowls to put the salsa in
plastic cereal containers (so the chips don't break shipping!)
pinata (uh huh...you read that right...Cars theme--so cute!)
NINE POUNDS OF CANDY filling the pinata

This gift is meant to be shared with everyone in Mark and Carl's shop--hopefully it will give them a little "taste" of home and they will enjoy it!

2008-04-07T17:07:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow will be a month since I said goodbye to Mark.

I'd like to think of it as "one month down, six to go"...but six months is a long time, so I'd rather just not think of it at all. :-) It's hard not to though. There have been countless times that I've wanted to pick up my phone and call him, just to talk. Or send him a text message to say hi and a few minutes later read his reply. Then I remember he's on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Before he was deployed he worked nights during the week, so I filled my weeknights with school activities and hanging out with friends, and I kept my weekends free for Mark-time. :-) Now that he is gone, I keep myself busy during the week as usual, and wonder what I will do with all my free time on the weekends.

This is where my family and friends come in...I thank God for them!

This past Friday I called in sick. Sometimes you just need to take a day off to slow yourself down. Or at least I do! I had been running on full speed since I came home from Italy--papers to grade, Matt's wedding, teaching adult school, open house, teaching my regular classes, etc, etc. It was nice to just rest. Though I didn't do much of that! Friday morning I ran into Fresno to sign the contract at our reception site. All set there! Then my cousin Whitney and I met for a Starbucks, and we spent some time catching up on the last month's events. After we left I drove to the Cancer center where my dad has his treatment, and sat with my mom and dad while he was "connected". Mom and I talked about wedding things and dad was on the phone with a friend. I had dinner plans Friday night that cancelled last minute...so Friday night I spent alone. I hate to admit it, but it was really nice to finally have a night for myself. :-) I fixed a new pasta dish (a recipe that I brought home from Italy), baked some cookies to send to Mark, watched a little tv, and then went to bed early.

Saturday morning I did a bit of last-minute shopping for a package that I was sending to Mark, packed the items in the box, and then ran to the post office before noon to send it. Saturday afternoon I cleaned a bit before heading to Hanford to have dinner and do some shopping with Amanda. Amanda is a wonderful new friend of mine...she is married to Carl, one of the guys that Mark works with and is on the ship with right now. They just got married a little over a year ago, so this is her first cruise too. We are going through this together and I'm so glad that we are friends! She's very encouraging and fun to be with. We have made it our goal these next six months to earn ourselves the "best wife ever" and "best fiance ever" awards. :-) So we're putting together fun boxes to send to the guys--like a Cinco de Mayo box filled with chips, salsa, sombreros, and a few other little items. So fun!

Sunday morning was breakfast and church with Ashley...though, it turned out to be just breakfast with Ashley. :-) We had every intention of going to church, but the restaurant where we ate our breakfast (MMmmmm Swedish pancakes!) was understaffed that morning, so things were running a little slow. It was nice to sit while we were waiting and after we ate, and just catch up. :-) After breakfast I ran home to finish cleaning--mom and dad were coming for dinner so I wanted the place to be nice and neat. Dinner together was nice. They hadn't been out for dinner in over a year--so it was fun to hang out, talk about wedding plans, watch a movie, and have some yummy pasta.

Speaking of wedding plans...I'll write more again soon and update you. In the meantime, watch your mail. You should be receiving a little something very soon! :-)

a few pictures...

2008-04-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

...from my trip to Italy. The first is at a dogi villa; the second at ponte diavola in Cividale; and the third...Venice! :-)

I will try to post more soon! This is all I have at work... :-)

2008-03-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

I'm off! Italy-bound with 10 students and I'm so excited. It's bittersweet...saying goodbye to Mark today too, for the next seven months, because he leaves next Sunday. But when he gets back we are getting married!! So that's something to look forward to. Anyway, I will post some pics and news about our trip to Italy either while I'm gone or when I return! Check back often!

love ya!
me

2008-02-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

As you've heard, the day we all thought would never EVER come, finally did. lol. We're engaged!

It's so exciting...and new... I think I've told just about everyone I know now, and they are all so happy for us. He proposed on Valentine's Day, which was a great surprise--he is generally not the overly-romantic and sentimental type. The proposal was perfect and the ring is beautiful. I asked one of my friends here at work how long it took her to stop playin with her ring and she said a few weeks. I can't get used to it...but I love it. We've already set a date and reserved the church, reception site, photographer, and the place for the rehearsal dinner. But we have so much left to do! And he leaves soon for his deployment...

Aren't we the cutest EVER??? :-) hehe.

2008-02-27T08:15:00.001-08:00

This is the view I have on the way to work every morning...

Well, every morning that it's not foggy or rainy and cloudy. :-) So beautiful!

2008-02-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how women react and what emotions and thoughts can be stirred up by something so simple as a little blue box with a white ribbon!

I have two of these little boxes in my collection right now. The first was brought back from Tampa, Florida last January when Mark was there for a detachment. It was a surprise! And a just-because gift of sterling silver rain/teardrop earrings. I think he was bored and went shopping with another one of the guys. Fine with me! haha.

The second box was my Christmas gift this year and was actually wrapped with a red ribbon. Mark wrapped it in red tissue paper (to disguise the white Tiffany & Co tissue paper it was packaged with) and put it in a gift bag. I would have been happy with just the little blue box! But inside that box was a beautiful sterling silver "j" necklace. What a sweetie! A necklace now, to match my earrings. We had to take the necklace to the Tiffany & Co in Portland to order a new one because the chain was too short! So when I received my new necklace in the mail, it came to me with a new white ribbon. No worries though, I had kept the original red one! haha.

Now, two empty little blue boxes. You certainly can't throw them away. That's against all laws of womanhood, I believe, and probably the 11th Commandment too...thou shall not throw away Tiffany & Co little blue boxes, little blue bags, or ribbons. So I took those two little blue boxes and white ribbons after they were empty, and WRAPPED THE WHITE RIBBON BACK AROUND THE BOX IN A CUTE LITTLE BOW JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL! But doesn't it look pretty in that picture? Yes, I did that. haha. What a goofball I am.

feeling blue

2008-02-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. It started Thursday night I think, with sneezing and an itchy throat...the sneezing continued on Friday and was then accompanied by watery eyes...Saturday came the runny nose, along with the previous two symptoms, and yesterday--well, yesterday all heck broke loose in my body. Runny nose. Sneezing. Coughing. Aching. Don't-even-want-to-get-out-of-bed-it's-that-bad feeling. Today. So far, nothing. :-) But I just woke up...so I figure the cold is still asleep too. lol. I stayed away from milk for breakfast (apparently not good for you when you have a cold/throat issues), and am playing it safe on the couch with a stack of papers to grade. Good thing today is a holiday!! :-)

Hope these winter colds don't get to you, too!

grocery shopping w/jer

2008-01-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

So...I went to the grocery store JUST for a case of water and milk...

Well, I walked in and thought as I was walking by produce, it sure would be nice to have some apples and bananas...and the grapes looked really good so I picked up some of those too. My mom told me on the phone tonight that if I spend a certain amount of money that I get free items, so I looked at the ad and it said if I spend $50 I get a free bag of salad. Well, I wasn't going to spend that much but thought I could use the lettuce anyway, so I grabbed a bag. And for some reason, this morning I was thinking about celery and peanut butter. I don't know why...just sounded good. And celery is healthy...so I grabbed a bunch while I was still wandering around the veggies. Then I picked up the case of water...and on the next aisle over was slim fast stuff. So I decided, eh, might as well try it. But I couldn't decide if I should buy the premade shakes or the mix to make them myself...so I bought both! lol. So then I walked down the back aisle and picked up some tortillas. I'm not sure why, I don't have cheese or beans or meat to make anything with the tortillas...but I threw them in anyway. Then I walked further down that back aisle to get the milk. As I was walking away from the milk section I noticed the yogurt and saw it was on sale, and it's a healthy little snack, so I picked up four little yogurts too. When I passed the bread aisle I thought, I have all that chicken-in-a-can that I bought at Costco a few weeks ago...I could have sandwiches if I only had bread...so I found some whole wheat bread and threw that in my cart. Well, then on my way out of the bread aisle there were marshmallows on sale for only $.89...and the other night I made myself hot chocolate and wished I had marshmallows to put in it--so I figured I'd pick some up just in case. As I was walking towards the front, I was thinking about the tamale casserole I made last night (and put it in the freezer), and I decided I needed some vegetables to go with it--so I went to the frozen food aisle and picked up a couple of those bags that you just throw in the microwave to steam (amazing invention). Then I saw a lady wearing a really cute sweater and remembered that I didn't have any laundry soap and pretty much finished Marks (he does laundry at my place once in a while)--so I ran back to that aisle and found Arm and Hammer to replace his. But I needed something kinda girly, so it's the "mountain fresh" smelling kind. So at this point I'm looking at my cart, wondering how it got to be so full, and decided I better just leave. But on the way out I walked by the stand with those Special K snack bars, and they were on sale 2 boxes for $5, so I grabbed two boxes and threw them in too!

$63 later...I'm home. lol. I think I need to make a list next time.

2008-01-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Well. No other way to say this other than to just say it...

My dad's cancer, once thought to be gone, is back. And it's spread. The doctor here in town didn't do the proper scan after dad's last surgery, he just said they got everything and took him off chemo and put him on shots (the same as chemo, just a lower dosage). So dad went in for another scan at the end of last month, thinking that everything was going to be gone and he would be completely finished with treatments. But instead they found a couple of spots of cancer back in the original location...and a "dark spot" on his liver. After seeing a specialist last week in Los Angeles about the "dark spot", and going through a few more tests, he was told that there are actually FIVE spots on his liver. The good news is that they MIGHT be able to treat it. He has a few options for treatment, and they are all experimental. Basically, the treatment could either dissolve the cancer, or it could cause it to grow. The doctor he has now, the specialist in LA, is known for his work with melanoma...so we know my dad is in good hands. Please keep him, the doctor, my family, and this whole process, in your prayers.

2008-01-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

a few pics from my Oregon trip. :-)

the snow, on the way to search for Salt Creek Falls...we never did find it. :-)

a fun waterfall on the side of the road. there were literally hundreds, flowing right down the mountain next to the road on the way home. i just had to snap a picture of this one.

Mark and I at the OR coast on the way home...a LONG day

PRETTY! The OR coast.

Salmon Creek Falls

Portland, OR. Look closely on the left, it's Tiffany! And across the street is Chipotle. Fitting, that my two favorite places should be so near each other. haha.

Mark, ready for liftoff (at OMSI)

This is part of the inside of OMSI...so fun! Science museum for kids, kids of all ages!

Mark and I on our way out...we stayed until close!

This is shorty...one of two dogs living at Mark's parents home.

2007-12-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! I was at the lake again, for the usual family get together. It was so nice to see everyone again. At times like those I realize how blessed I am to live so close to most of my family and friends.

I'm going to be in Oregon for about a week...brrrr!! If you think about it, pray for our safe travels. We are DRIVING, and there have been severe snow warnings at the CA/OR border.

Enjoy your new years celebrations!! I will post some fun new pics when I get home. :-)

Be safe out there!

just a little news

2007-11-29T21:19:00.001-08:00

Wow, can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of November already? Thanksgiving is gone and Christmas is just around the corner...only 25 shopping days left! :-) Yippee!

Things are going well. The kids and I bought our plane tickets for Italy, so the trip is official. I will be traveling with ten students this year...as the only chaperone. Ah! Honestly though, I am thankful for the students that I chose...I don't think I'll have any worries with them in country, and I can already tell that they will be a lot of fun to "parent" for 2 1/2 weeks. :-) Six of them are in leadership and the other four are just all-around great kids. March can't come soon enough!

Okay it's late. I will write more again soon. Hope you all are well!

sad :-(

2007-11-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

As of last Friday I had two girls who were pregnant in my classes.

Now I have only one.

I wouldn't have realized so soon except that I gave my kids a test today and on their test I asked them to tell me one good thing that happened to them this week. And she wrote "Well, I'm out of the hospital"... It concerned me that one of my students had been in the hospital, so I called her over and asked her if everything was okay...and she explained. She had a doctor's appointment late last week and they found out her baby was going to be a stillbirth (she was only four months pregnant). So they admitted her to the hospital and induced labor this weekend. She is back in school today.

It's so sad. I thought she was going to cry and I wanted to give her a hug when she was sharing that with me... I can't imagine what she went through and is still going through...but she is handling it very well, keeping herself together. I know that this is a part of God's plan for her, but even knowing that I don't think that I could be back at work two days after that experience. She is such a strong little girl. Think you guys could pray for her?

That's it for now...back to work.

2007-11-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

I painted my nails last night. Fingernails. I think they look cute. It's fun to be girlie sometimes. I mean, I get pedicures on a regular basis, but it's winter so no one can see my cute toes. lol. Oh, and I wore my hair curly today instead of blow-drying it straight. I needed a change and it's Friday, so I just feel like it's a curly painted-fingernail day. hehe.

I'm excited for lunch today. J called me last night and said that he and D are going to lunch today...and they want me to come too. Yippee! Finally a day off campus for lunch. I think we're going to S-way. And I have a coupon for S-way, a buy one-get one free, so I hope we go there! Plus, it's a better option than fast food...though, I have been craving some McD's french fries!! Yum!

I'm not really sure what my plans are this weekend. Tonight is the big rivalry game between S-town and R-town. WOOOOOO-hooo!! J-rod said he might come with me. Whatever. Even if he doesn't there will be a big group of teachers there, so that will be fun. :-) I heard that K-town and the other S-town have their rival game tonight too...some of the older folks at the gym this morning were talking about it. Anyway tomorrow I plan to sleep in and then spend the afternoon grading and watching football. Then Sunday is church with A, then lunch (finally!) afterwards. Oh! And the biggest football game of the year is on this Sunday...the Patriots and the Colts. Hope my Pats win!! Should be exciting!!

I can't believe it's November. Time to start thinking about what to get M for Christmas! Anyone have any ideas....?

my shopping trip

2007-10-30T21:46:00.001-07:00

I decided around 545 last night that I needed a few groceries. So I headed out the door to SMart.

Well, I noticed it was just starting to sprinkle as I was pulling out of my garage, and even though I had been hearing emergency storm warnings on the tv/radio, I figured I was safe. They said the storm was REALLY bad, lightning, thunder, hail, downpours, etc. But it was south of K-town in the H-town/L-town area.

So...I spent about 15 minutes in SMart, picked up my few groceries, and was standing in the checkout line...when I noticed that it was POURING outside. AH!!

There I was in my flip-flops, capris, short sleeves, and NO UMBRELLA, about ready to grab my bags and head to my car! The nice lady bagger asked me if I wanted help out...I wondered secretly if maybe she could go get my car and drive it up to the door for me. hehe. But instead of asking, I shook my head no, turned away her offer of a plastic bag to cover my head (ah! haha) and walked out the door...

Unfortunately, I didn't notice until I was in a full sprint and half-way to my car that the raindrops were HUGE AND it was HAILING...lol. In just about seven seconds I made it to my car, threw the groceries on the passenger seat, climbed in, closed the door, and it was then that I realized...I was SOAKED.

Literally!

My hair, my clothes, everything. lol. It was the funniest thing...I just had to laugh! I drove home soaking wet, laughed again as I unloaded my groceries and examined my wet clothes and hair, and changed into comfy sweats.

I still giggle a little just thinking about it. haha. Gotta love that rain!

Game 3

2007-10-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

Red Sox 10, Rockies 5...

3 games down...1 to go!!

So exciting!

lately

2007-10-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, can I just say YIPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE for the Red Sox win over Cleveland? World Series-bound again. How beautiful is that? :-)

Now, on to new news.

Still teaching. Still planning Italy. Still keeping VERY busy at work. Nothing really new there.

Saw a new movie last night with M...Into the Wild. Don't see it, that's my suggestion. M and I thought it would be this really cute movie about nature and how a man survives in the wilderness, kind of like that whole "Man vs Wild" thing that M loves so much on tv. But no. Wasn't even close. I mean, it kinda started out that way...but then...yikes. A few instances of some pretty terrible language, lots of scenes with innappropriate content, and then towards the end holy cow it just took a turn for the worst. Suggestion (again): read the reviews or at least a synopsis first before you go see a movie, and DO NOT see this one.

M leaves today for three weeks. This is the last time he will be gone until January when he has another little three-week trip...and then in March for six months. The good news is, for this trip he will be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That will be nice.

I've gone to church in K-town with A twice now. KCC is a cute little church, emphasis on LITTLE, and is very different from the big EV in F-town. I'm sure it would take me a bit to get used to the size. They have a big youth program, but not many singles/marrieds my age from what I can tell. We'll see though! I've only been twice. Last Sunday I went back to EV in F-town and it was like going home for me. The worship was amazing, and I was able to sit with and have lunch with my aunt and cousins afterwards.

Two of my favorite new places: REI and Chipotle. REI just opened in Fresno and I'm super excited about it. I have already bought two gift cards for family/friends, a laptop sleeve, and a new bag for work. They have such cute things! And Chipotle. Well, do I really need to expand on that? It's CHIPOTLE! It's becoming my Sunday after-church lunch date. I'm not saying that I would choose Chipotle over Panera Bread...EVER...just that Chipotle is ONE of my favorite new places. I still totally heart Panera Bread. lol.

quick update

2007-09-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

A few have asked...school is going great so far. :-)

I have about 180 students spread out amongst five classes, and I have to admit that they are some pretty good kids. They're well behaved, most of them actually do their homework, and they even laugh at my stupid jokes. hehe.

We're currently doing a ton of fundraising for the Italy trip coming up in March. I am taking 10 students this year, and I wanted to give them an opportunity to raise most of the $2400 that they have to pay in order to participate. Sounds like a lot of money, but you have to remember that the trip is for 17 days. So anyway, my schedule has been booked with selling partylite candles, tupperware, red carpet car wash tickets, and advertising for our Fun-Raiser night at Sweet Tomatoes. (Which is September 10th, if anyone is going to be in town and wants to help us out! All you have to do is eat there! Call me... :-) ) Anyway, the kids who are really making an effort have raised a lot of money...myself, I don't usually have to pay for the trip. In the past we have distributed my cost amongst the students. Well, knowing that an extra $250 could be a hardship on some of the kids, I decided to do fundraising too. That way, the more I raise, the less they have to pay. So far I have an account balance close to $800. That'll almost cover my plane ticket. Pretty darn good if you ask me. :-)

Not much else keeping me busy these days...I'm glad to report that for my three-day weekend, I have spent most of the time relaxing and catching up on much-needed sleep.

Oh by the way. Dad finished his chemo last Friday. Yay! Now he has to go in only for an injection once a day for four weeks, and then three days a week for 10 months... But the hard part is over and he has been healed of his cancer. Thank God!

Will update with more soon...

GOOGL

2007-08-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

This post is for Alisha...but the rest of you will find it pretty interesting too I think!

Alisha said in her last post that she LOVES Google....well, big sis, here's another way for you to love Google.

ON YOUR CELL PHONE

So, check this out...

On your cell phone as you would a regular text message, type in the business you are looking for and the city it is in...for instance, if I had a pizza craving one night I might type in:

"Davincis Pizza Fresno" (without the quotes)

Then, you send the text message to GOOGL or the numbers 46645.

(it's just a regular text message charge)

Your message is sent off into space somewhere (or however it works) and within seconds it sends a text back to your phone with a message containing listings for local Davincis Pizza joints. Super! Eh?

Okay, the system isn't flawless...but it works a good percentage of the time!

Alisha, ENJOY! :-) And thanks for the Reader idea...I did it!

(Anyone try the GOOGL thing on their cell phone???)

Tuesday

2007-08-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

morning...
--had my broken car stereo replaced; I decided to stay at Toyota while they did the work (which I rarely do) and ended up having the most interesting conversation with a retired teacher from Louisiana. His name was Clarence and he kept me talking for over an hour, telling me stories of his travels, his life in the "deep South", and a few fun stories about his teaching experiences in Oakland. :-)

--came home and worked on lesson plans (yippee!!)

afternoon.....
--listened to the pitter-patter (okay stomping would be more accurate) of little feet in the apartment above me. J-rod's neices were over for lunch with him. It's funny, when my old neighbor was upstairs, his son used to run back and forth and back and forth and back and...you get the idea...and it used to irritate me like nothing else. For some reason, it only made me smile to hear J-rod's neices running around. :-) Mainly because I think he was PAYING them to make that much noise...it's just something he'd do to be funny. haha. What a great friend!

--baked chocolate chip cookies around 3. I was going to share them with J-rod's girls upstairs...but they left as the first tray was coming out of the oven. So I gave half of them to J-rod instead. :-)

--went to the gym about 430...because I had just ate TWO chocolate chip cookies (how could I resist? they were warm and soft and straight from the oven!!)

evening.....
--dinner around 630. J-rod hadn't eaten and my sis wasn't home to eat with me...so J-rod and I went up to the little-gas-station-converted-into-a-Mexican-food-restaurant on the corner. It was yummy!

--Thrifty ice cream at 7:30. good thing I went to the gym... lol

--movie upstairs at 8:00...have you ever seen Slingblade? I hadn't until last night. Such an interesting movie. Not family friendly. It's a drama...and it makes you think. Very predictable though...and sad.

countdown

2007-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

14...days until the boyfriend comes home. That will be nice, he's been gone for 13 days already... :-)

11...months the boyfriend and I have been dating! Well, plus three days. :-) He was gone for the 11 months-iversary...but he will be here for the 1 year anniversary. Good thing, or I'd have to have a little talk with his skipper! (yeah right...lol)

8...more days of vacation left before I have to go back to work! I'm excited to be back in the classroom teaching, and looking forward to seeing my coworkers again.

6...days until I get another pedicure. AND my hair highlighted again. Gotta look cute for work!

5...more months until Christmas break. hehe. Yes, I'm already counting.

3...the number of days per week I will have to drive to work, I hope. Carpooling with my upstairs neighbor J-rod two or three or four times a week will be amazing! He teachers math with me and is a totally fun guy...I just hope he's a morning person like meeeeeeeeeeee!

2...rooms left to clean in my place before I'm finished. On Friday I cleaned out the cupboards in my kitchen to make room for my new washer and dryer (in the laundry room). Then I mopped the kitchen and bathrooms today and vacuumed the main room. So fun! (No, really!)

:-)

you gotta read this...

2007-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've spent three weekdays (well, two and a half) on vacation so far.

Friday I was in the Bay Area with my friend Jewely...what a fun adventure that was. We left S-town with the intention of being home by 6 or so...but we actually didn't make it home until 9pm. Yikes! Still, lots of shopping and really a good time hanging out.

Mark left yesterday. :-( He will be gone for 27 days total. He's on an aircraft carrier right now, just cruisin around in the ocean. Well, not really cruisin, but you know what I mean. 27 days. And right as my vacation was starting! Bummer! But at least it's not 6 months...yet! I will try to find things to keep me busy...

Yesterday I hung out with my dad. Mom left us a grocery list so we ran up to the store in the afternoon. There were several items from the produce aisle on the list so we strolled back and forth through there for a bit. Picked up some peaches...walked by the grapes (dad ate two)....found the nectarines...walked back by the grapes (dad ate a few more)...chose a nice bunch of bananas....walked by the cherries (dad grabbed one and ate it). I finally couldn't handle it anymore so I told him STOP EATING THE FRUIT!! haha. Dad tried to convince me that the reason they leave the bags open is so that you can taste them. No. If that were the case people would be taking bites out of peaches and pears and plums and apricots and putting them back on the shelf if the fruit wasn't acceptable. You'd have half-eaten fruit just laying around on the stands. He just laughed. My dad is a goofball. :-)

Last night I had dinner at Red Robin for my birthday...Ashley's great for putting that together! After dinner we went shopping and drove back to my place to hang out for a bit. Katie drove down from Fresno and my friend Jerrod came downstairs to hang out with us too. Lots of laughs. :-)

So this morning Jerrod and I were off and running at 10am. Not LITERALLY running. Just out and about. We drove down to H-town to do a little shopping...ate at Panera Bread for lunch (yummy!)...and then came back to S-town to stop at the grocery store before heading home.

I should mention that I had two near-death experiences today. First, I backed out of my parking spot at Target, right into another car. No damage to either car (thank God!) but I was a little shook up. Then, at Panera Bread, Jerrod made me laugh and the next thing you know I am choking on a little tiny bite of my sandwich. Ugh. I've never actually choked on anything before...what a scary experience. But I made it out alive... :-)

Okay, off to watch a couple of movies. Pedicure tomorrow. Yay!

countdown to vacation

2007-07-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well it's official. I'm the big 3-0 now. It's not so bad. Except that my myspace says I'm 30. I have to do a double-take every time I read that...and a few times I found myself cringing...but I think I'm okay now. The shock has worn off. :-)

I'm 25 1/2 hours away from vacation. I'm so excited.

While I have no "big" traveling plans yet, there are a few options that I'm kinda tossing around. I do know that I'm going to the bay area on Friday, just for the day. It's been pretty hot around here lately and I am SO ready to escape from this heat. I may take a quick trip to Chicago to see my friend Abe. I miss my buddy! Or drive down to Anaheim for a few days to see the Red Sox play the Angels (very likely!). Or I may just take the "free" route, head to the coast and stay at my grandparents place for a few days...it's beautiful (and COOLER!) this time of year.

On a side note: I still think I should have been born in some northern state, far far away from the equator, like Minnesota. Some place that gets super-cold in the winter and never gets warmer than 80 in the summers. Think such a place exists? :-)

the big 3-0

2007-06-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

With my 30th birthday less than a month away, I've been thinking a lot about my life.

A few weeks ago I was talking to the secretary at school and sharing with her how I wanted my life to turn out when I was younger. You know, the whole "career by 23, married by 25, house with a white picket fence by 29, kids by 30, soccer (baseball) mom status by 40, retire around 45, etc, etc". She just smiled and kindly reminded me that I have been allowed to accomplish so much by 29...even if it wasn't what I had planned for myself.

And you know...I've finally decided that I'm okay with that. I really am!

My plan wasn't the best for me...but the way it has worked out, I couldn't have asked for more.

I've been blessed in so many ways...a good career, a decent home (okay, apartment), a reliable and fun car, my good health, 13 pairs of Old Navy flip-flops, my family and my friends and the relationships I have with them, the ability and means to travel and see the world (did I mention that I'm going back to Italy in March?? yah!).

Of course I still have the desire for all of those milestones to happen. But, Lord willing, the timing will just have to be a little bit different than what I had hoped for.

So as I look to my 30th birthday (even though the thought does depress me just a little bit...haha) it really excites me. If my 30's are anything like my 20's, I can look forward to another 10 years of fun-filled adventures, spending time with friends and family, and surprises around every corner.

bbq, cards, and summer

2007-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

One of Mark's coworkers invited us over for a barbecue last night. I was a little bit nervous because I'd never met any of Mark's "Navy" friends...but I ended up having such a good time! Carl and his wife Amanda are cute newlyweds, and they kept us talking and laughing all night. Amanda made what looked to be some delicious stuffed mushrooms (I don't like mushrooms) and some yummy bruschetta, Carl barbecued some fabulous ribs and tri tip, and we had a few sides to go along. Mark and I learned a new card game ("Hand and Foot") while we were there, and we were winning after the second round...but then our teachers came back and pretty much kicked our butts in the third round. We should have quit while we were ahead! But it was fun...I'd love to spend more time learning that game and hanging out with the newlyweds.

So anyway...that was just last night. My summer has been good. I'm teaching summer school and keeping very busy with that. I haven't had a day off since June 11th, and I won't have another day off until next Friday! It's good for me to stay busy though...otherwise I would go crazy sitting around all day. I think that's why I teach summer school. Plus, I just plain love teaching.

I have missed you...

2007-04-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

I worked 14 hours today.

Yes. 14. I drove in to work at about 6:30 this morning and didn't leave until 8:30 tonight. This is not typical for my workdays...well, it hasn't been in the recent past anyway. And I really hope this isn't the beginning of a new trend. It was the first day back from Easter Vacation, and I just had a lot to take care of!! But on the plus side, I did get up at 445 this morning and go to the gym. Maybe that's why I'm awake still. I hear that when you go to the gym first thing in the morning you are more energized for the rest of the day. True? Who knows. I'm usually exhausted at the end of the day whether or not I've gone to the gym...haha. Who knew teaching would take so much out of you? So lets see...it's 10:15 now...so that means I've been up for...............(hang on, doing the math)..................just about 18 hours. Yippee! Time for bed. But first...a little update:

Last you heard I was breaking up with the old car...it's true. I've overcome my loss somehow (probably has something to do with the 10,000 miles I've already put on the new car) and am every day feeling more and more comfortable in my new car relationship. I really am totally blessed with the new car. It gets great gas mileage and is finally something reliable. I don't have to wake up in the morning and pray that my car starts!

What else...? Well, on January 17th my parents and sister came out to my apt for dinner. It was that night that my dad told me that they found "a lump" in his lymph nodes. He had surgery and they removed it all...analyzed it and determined it is Skin Cancer. After a few more routine scans and tests, they found another lump about the size of a golf ball in his abdomen. So since about mid-February, my dad has been out of work and undergoing chemotherapy to try to shrink the second lump so the doctors can remove it. He's losing a lot of weight, and the effects of the treatment are hitting him pretty hard. But he has a lot of people praying for him, and he is holding on strong. Mom is out of work too and is serving as his primary caregiver...she takes him to his treatments, sits with him through appointments, and can't leave him alone at home. This is wearing her out as well...so when you're praying for my dad, please remember to include my mom.

It's getting late, so I'll just finish up real quick by letting you know that Mark and I are still dating. It's been seven months! At Christmastime he took leave and he invited me to go home to Oregon with him for a week. I met and stayed with his sister one night and his parents the rest of the time. What a great family! He has also been accepted and welcomed with open arms by my family, and they all seem to like him very much. He and I learn more and more about each other every time we get together...and I'm learning so much about myself and what it takes to be a part of a couple! It's hard, and I make all kinds of mistakes...but thankfully I have a boyfriend who is understanding and patient!!! We still haven't had a single fight or argument. Well, except for silly little arguments about what movie to see or where to eat dinner...but one of us usually gives in pretty quickly so I don't think you could even consider those to be arguments. :-) Please keep us in your prayers.

Lots more to share, so I will update again soon...hopefully it won't take four months!! :-)

breaking up is hard to do

2006-12-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well, that's it. It's over. The longest relationship I've had in my life, and it ended tonight.

That's right, I sold my little silver Camry tonight. hehe.

You thought I was talking about boyfriend?! Heck no! :-)

August 25, 1995 - December 11, 2006 So many years! It was a tough decision, but it was time. So many memories went along with that little car. All those college road trips, the AGOers who painted all over my windows and mirrors (to this day, there is still green paint on the passenger side mirror...haha), the Crusade and ADX events when people piled in the front and back seat and trusted me with their lives, the trips to the lake, the coast...I put 150,000 miles on that car. It was a good little car. And now it has a new home, so someone else can make their own memories with it. :-)

If you have a little Camry memory you'd like to post, feel free to leave it in a comment!

how cute?

2006-12-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend had a firefighting class yesterday, so he didn't have to work last night and called to see if he could drive up and see me. We went to Sal's for dinner...and then decided to go hang out at Wal Mart for a little while. We do that sometimes...just go look around and see what they have. We rarely buy anything. But what else is there to do in S-town?? lol So anyway, when I suggested WM, here was the short conversation that followed:

he smiled and said "Yeah, I was thinking about looking at their fishing stuff."

i laughed and said "Of course you were...when are you NOT thinking about fishing stuff?"

he smiled and said "When I'm thinking about you."

Awww...how cute is that?? lol. :-)

176...87...19...10...3

2006-12-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

176...the number of students who helped to produce this large stack of papers that I will be grading this weekend. lol. Well, Sunday afternoon anyway.

87...the number of dollars spent to replace two motor mounts on my old car, thanks to the internet searching skills of my boyfriend. The shop quoted me about $700 to replace all five mounts including the cost of labor! Yikes! Oh plus, my boyfriend loves to take things apart, figure out what's wrong with them, and put them back together (that's kinda what he does for the Navy), and he has offered to do the work for me this Friday night in exchange for a home-cooked meal. Yes, one of MY homecooked meals. lol. After he fixes those two mounts, I'm going to try to sell the car...and just let people know what work still needs to be done. There's already an ad in the paper for this weekend! :-) So exciting!

19...the number of days left before Christmas! So much shopping and planning left to do. But I can't wait!

10...the number of days left until I leave for Oregon to "meet the parents". Should be a great trip! Rain and snow, shopping, and lots of time with the boyfriend and his family. (I'm really kinda-nervous about this...your prayers would be appreciated!)

3...can you believe I've been dating this amazing guy for three months?? Well, three months and four days...or three months and five days, depending on which one of us you ask. lol. That's a story for another time though... I hope he gets to meet you all soon!

update since 11/16

2006-11-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I'd love to hear about it, if you haven't shared the details with me already. :-)

Thanksgiving for me: I drove up to the lake on Wednesday and spent a few days with my family. The boyfriend came up for a few hours and to join us for dinner Thursday afternoon and had a chance to meet more of my family. I hope we didn't scare him too much. haha.
I saw the new James Bond movie "Casino Royale"...I liked it! I recommend it to any Bond fans who may read this. I know you may be skeptical about the new Bond...but he's really pretty good. Give him a chance. :-)
The boyfriend has leave starting December 14th and has invited me to go home to OR with him for a week or so. Yikes. It sounds like a fun trip, but a little scary too, the whole "meeting the family" thing! We are planning to leave on the 16th and be home in time for me to spend Christmas at the lake with my family. I plan to do most of my Christmas shopping there, since OR is a sales tax-free state. Woo-hoo! hehe.
Work is going well, but I'm thankful I only have three weeks left and then three weeks off! I could use a break. Thanksgiving was amazing and so relaxing...but THREE WEEKS will be so much nicer! haha. I have a lot on my plate right now with 6 classes, no prep period, foreign exchange club, and BTSA (a new teacher support program that requires hours and hours of paperwork and assignments). Things will only pick up as I start to look ahead to the possibility of going to Italy this spring!
The boyfriend leaves for Key West on January 2nd, so the 2nd-8th will be prime traveling and visiting time for me. If you're available (and don't live too far away) let me know and hopefully I can take a drive to see you!

Okay, that's it for now. I'm sure there's more...but will save it all and write again soon!

So after I wrote the message above, it started raining...and a few minutes later, this is what appeared. I was in the middle of 6th period and we were taking notes, but I couldn't help myself! It was so beautiful...I pulled out my cell phone and snapped this picture. :-) What a gift!

Veterans Day Weekend

2006-11-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

Last weekend the boyfriend and I took advantage of the holiday and spent some time in Southern California. Friday on the way down we stopped at the Reagan Library and toured the exhibits for a few hours, then Saturday we spent half the day at Knotts Berry Farm before stopping by Ikea in Burbank and then heading home. The boyfriend just sent me a few pictures from the trip, so I thought I'd send them along to you.

The first few are from the Reagan Library...The Reagan Memorial site; Air Force One, the original plane that Nixon through Bush used, we were able to tour the inside--very neat!; a piece of the Berlin Wall; me standing next to a mural of President Reagan; the boyfriend standing next to a bronze statue of President Reagan; and finally a picture of the boyfriend and I in front of Knotts Berry Farm...yes, we are wearing matching shirts. His squadron is in the process of raising money for their Christmas banquet next month, and they were selling tshirts as part of a fundraiser...so he bought two--one for each of us. Cute, eh? haha. A very fun weekend!

so embarrassing...

2006-11-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

So yesterday morning at about 5:15 am I filled out a survey on myspace. This was one of the questions:

Question 26: When was the last time you felt stupid?
My response: I haven't felt stupid this week...yet. But it's only Wednesday.

So...funny story.

I finally bought a new cell phone. The other one I had for at least 5 years...it was a good little phone...but it was still on the old network and my service was becoming a little too sporadic. Well, I didn't want to spend an hour transferring my phone numbers to my new phone...I just don't have that kinda time right now (and my old phone didn't have a SIM card...I know, it was ancient). So anyway. My TA (Jessica) didn't have anything to do during my class, and she has the same phone as me so she offered to switch them for me.

Well, while I was lecturing, Jess was entering the numbers and all of a sudden she interrupts me and says "Miss C! I promise I didn't read it!" and hands the phone to me. I had a text message from my boyfriend. I read it really quick and handed the phone back to Jess. Well the rest of my class was obviously curious (nosey) and one student asked who it was from.

Me, wanting to be a little funny, shot back at the student "None of your-" Now, usually the word 'business' would follow the beginning of that phrase. But apparently I had other things on my mind...lol. Because instead of 'business'...I said "None of your boyfriend!"

haha. Everyone laughed...

I felt so stupid. lol.

I TOLD you it was 'only Wednesday'...there was still plenty of time left for me to do something to embarrass myself.

2006-10-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

finally! here are those pics I promised you...

first...the new car:

And then...the new boyfriend:

update

2006-10-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

I thought it about time to update you all...I will keep this brief, maybe bullet it so it's easier to read and so that I don't get carried away with typing. You know how much I love to write!!

So here goes:

school is going well. i'm a little overwhelmed because i don't have a prep period...but that will change after Christmas Break.
my grandfather is just out of the hospital and into a rehab center. he fell and broke his humurous...humerous...humorous...well, however you spell the bone in your upper arm. i haven't seen him since they moved him to the rehab facility...but i plan to get into town on Wednesday to do that.
i just bought a new car. the other, the one i've had since August of 1995, has 197k miles on it, and needs some work. i could probably have driven it for another month or so, but i figured i might as well not run it into the ground completely...it would be nice to be able to get some money for it!
my boy friend thinks he could buy it from me, fix it up, and use it as a little car to get around town in. i'm okay with that! but he really doesn't have the time to work on it. it would be more of a project car...and with his schedule it might take months to fix.
oh, yes...i have a boy friend now. :-) we've been dating since September 1st...
i also have a momma cat and her five little kittens on my back porch. the weekend that the boy friend and i went to Yosemite, she crawled into a wood box back there and gave birth. ah! what a surprise when i came home. they are I think about three or four weeks old now...and awfully cute. she was a scrawny little thing, a stray i'm sure, and since i didn't want the kittens to die on my back porch, i started to feed her. but i'm not really sure that she's taking good care of her kittens. feeding them, yes, but a couple of them have an eye sealed shut and i was under the impression that the momma was supposed to take care of that? i could take them to the vet and have him/her clean them up...but gosh, that's a lot of money. maybe my 'married to a vet' friend could answer that question for me!
i'm taking a couple of my coworkers out to lunch today. well, i'm not buying, but i'm driving. :-) they wanted to see the new car and today is the first day i will have it with me. i just picked it up on Friday and already i have over 200 miles on it. yikes! oh well, i'm just 'breaking it in', I guess you could say. hehe.

Well, have a wonderful week...and I will talk with you soon.

***I tried to post some pictures of my new car and of me and the boy...but it's not letting me! I don't know why... :-( I'll try back soon.

back to school

2006-08-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's official. Last night at about 6:30pm, my teacher stood up from the chair next to me, held out her hand to shake mine, and congratulated me on a completed and approved professional eportfolio. The last step in obtaining my teaching credential. Yay! She promised to post the grade this morning so that I can apply for my teaching credential tomorrow and be certificated for my first contract date on Monday. What that means?

I'll be credentialled to teach in the state of CA.
That certification is good in almost every state, so I could easily move and teach somewhere else.
I have no more school, until I decide to take the last four classes I need to finish my masters degree.
I could possibly have tenure at the end of this school year, since I've already taught for four years in the district.
A nice little pay raise.
Did I mention no more school? :-)

So I'm pretty excited about that...

Speaking of school...it starts in only three more days. Well, technically we don't have students until next Thursday. So one week until I get my kids. :-) But we have to go back for staff development starting Monday. I'm heading to the mountains this weekend as a last fun road trip before going back to work; first to explore Yosemite tomorrow with a friend, then to the cabin Saturday for an overnight with a bunch of people in the singles group. There is supposed to be a pretty amazing meteor shower Saturday night, so I'm hoping we can stay up late and watch it...shouldn't be too hard with that group!

That's it for now...need to head over to my classroom and set it all up for next week!

happy friday!

2006-07-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm off today, and it's a good thing...I have SO much to do this weekend, I just want to relax for a few minutes this morning before I get started.

***tonight***
...is a girls night with some of the CE friends from church. We're getting together to watch Eight Below...I hear it's about dogs and really cold weather. haha. I can't remember what else Sarah told me about the movie...but I'm not really going for that anyway. Should be fun to see everyone again!

***tomorrow***
...I'm finally going to see Pirates 2...with more CE friends. We're going to an afternoon show, and then tomorrow night I'm having dinner and seeing ANOTHER movie with an old coworker. I know! Two movies in one day...I'm so crazy. hehe. But she's ditching her hubby for the night to hang out with me...what a great birthday gift!! haha.

***speaking of my birthday...***
...Sunday is the big day. It's the big "30 minus 1" birthday...ahhh!! hehe. My plans for the day? Very full... Morning I'll do church, then a very quick lunch with friends because I have to be in S-town for a study session with my kids at 2:00. I know, I know...it's Sunday...AND my birthday...but they really need it. The study session will be over by about 330, and then I have to head home because my WHOLE family is coming over to par-tay with me around 6pm. Pizza, cake, and ice cream...should be fun!

***now***
...enough stalling. I need to get to the gym! Then I have papers to grade, carpets to vacuum, and dishes to put away...I'm going to try to get it all done this morning so I don't have to think about it and I can just relax and have fun all weekend!

Enjoy your weekend!

thursday morning Oops!

2006-07-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

A fun story for you....

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of my house phone ringing. Odd, because I set my alarm for 4:30am and generally there is no one up at that hour...I don't even think my EC friends are up at that time!! hehe. So I opened my eyes and looked at the clock, wondering who would call me at 4:30 in the morning...and it was then that I realized it wasn't 4:30am at all, but rather, 8:07am.

Now, I set my alarm clocks ahead--but only by about 15 minutes. So 8:07am on the clock meant that really it was (hang on, doing the math) 7:52am or so. But still, I was late to work. Summer school starts at 7:30am and I am supposed to be there by 7:15am.

Uh oh.

I answered the phone and the school secretary was on the other end....

"Hello...?" (You know, in that "i haven't talked to anyone yet this morning so my voice is all messed up" voice)

"Jerelyn....are we calling in sick to work today?"

"No...umm...no. Shoot Becky, you just woke me up."

"Oh I see."

"Can you give me an hour...? I'll be there in about an hour."

"Sure that's fine. See you in an hour."

In my five years of teaching, I've never been late to work before. I took about 20 seconds to look at my alarm clock and tried to determine why it didn't go off when it was supposed to--oh, because I'm a nerd and forgot to turn it ON the night before (duh). Smart...real smart.

Once I'd come to that conclusion, then let me tell you, that was the fastest shower-blow-dry-make-up-get-dressed-brush-my-teeth-grab-a-bottle-of-water-on-my-way-out-the-door that I've ever done before in my life. I'd say it was about 18.3 minutes and I was in my car, pulling out of my garage. Ten minutes later I was at work. Still, about 45 minutes late...

Oops!!

Thankfully, everyone was great about it...the administration, the other teachers, even my students. Though, my students did make sure to tell me that I'd have detention during my first break of the day...the same consequence that they have for being tardy....hehe. I walked into my class and they were all sitting pretty quietly. None of them were working, of course, but at least they weren't bouncing off the walls either. We got right to work and the rest of the day ran pretty smoothly...

So.....exciting way to start my Thursday morning, eh? hehe. You can see now though, that it's 4:52am on Friday morning, and I'm up in PLENTY of time. I joined a gym out here in S-town and it opens at 5...so I'd best get on my way.

Enjoy your weekend!

oh, and on a side note...can someone explain to me please, why it's so difficult to guard our hearts......??

Yikes!

2006-06-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been over a month now since I posted last... I can't believe it. I used to be so good about it...but not anymore. So just a quick update...

**School is finished. It ended well and I've packed up my classroom and moved back to the high school already. Well, I haven't moved my things in yet--the classroom that I'm supposed to have is being cleaned, so I can't really move in until late summer. But I'm temporarily in my old classroom (my first one at SHS!!) and am currently teaching summer school there...in fact, I'm almost finished with the first semester!

**My student teaching ends in less than a month and I'm looking forward to August 9th, when I'm officially finished with my credential work. I know, it's about time.

**The apartment is great and is staying nice and cool in this summer heat. I need a few more things for the place (like couches), but I spent too much money at Ikea in February so I've banned myself from the store until my birthday...22 days left. Yes, I'm totally counting. hehe.

**I've been spending a lot of time with one of my coworkers, Jewely, and her husband. They've got me hooked on poker...I'm terrible, but it's fun to play anyway. They just got the cutest little puppy...of course, no cuter than Chloe. :-)

**Summer school ends on July 20th and then I'm going to spend a week of vacation in Oakland--the Red Sox will be in town. :-) I'm pretty excited about that since I'll be able to see all three games of the series! Yippee. I'll also hang out with a couple of friends that I have in the area, which should be fun. I haven't seen my friend Shawn since spring break! I'm really looking forward to it all...

**Jen turned 26 a few weeks ago. Reminds me of how old I am. 28. Yikes! hehe. I'm already looking into retirement homes...

**Found out that I'm going back to Italy again if I have student interest...yay!

I miss hangin out with my adx sistas...you guys rock, and I wish I could see you more often. Katie and Mandy, I think you're the only ones still in town, so we should really make an effort to get together soon!! Did anyone read Karalayne's myspace...? I don't want to ruin the news...so read it first and then be excited with me. :-)

Well, ciao for now...

Happy May--errr...Happy Almost June?

2006-05-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Happy May. Oh wait, I've already posted for May once...well, Happy Almost June? I have 14 days of school left, and one of those days is going to be spent at Magic Mountain. I'm pretty excited about that. I haven't been to Magic Mountain since I was in high school...and I love roller coasters. The other 13 days are going to be filled half with teaching, and half with closing up the school year. Then I'm leaving the middle school and heading back to the high school...I'm really looking forward to the move. I'll teach summer school there, and then in the fall I'll be there again full time. Hopefully teaching Geometry again. You know, I chaperoned Prom this past Friday night and it helped me to realize how much I really enjoy working with high school students. I was able to see quite a few of my old students, and they even managed to drag me out onto the dance floor once or twice! I showed them my white-girls-can't-dance moves. It was beautiful...I'm a superstar. hehe. Here's a pic of me and a couple of my kids--they're like my sons. Good, good kids.

Quick Update

2006-04-24T08:21:00.002-07:00

Nothing really new to report here...

**Spring break is over. I didn't go anywhere. I rested! Much needed...

**Teaching continues to be where I focus most of my energy. Can't wait to work with high school students again.

**I am still getting situated in my apartment...but it already feels like my own place. It's comforting, being able to go "home".

**Cable has been installed in my apartment. Too many cables running around the room...but it's worth it I think.

**Went to a casino on Saturday with a coworker, her husband, and her cousin. Never been there before, and I really enjoyed it. Lost $20...but it could have been much worse!

**A boy came down to visit me over Spring Break. He's nice.

**The Red Sox are still doing pretty well. They're 11-7. Very nice...very, very nice.

**I'm going to see a Giants-Mets game tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes...

Two things...

2006-04-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

First, can I tell you how happy I am that Boston is starting off 5-1 this baseball season? So happy. It's beautiful. Beautiful, I tell ya.

Second...here's a pic of the main room of my apt...I still need to order my couches and find a matching coffee table. But it's finished for now. :-)

Going back...

2006-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I'm sitting in a Kinko's in Alameda. I went to the A's-Yankees game last night, a game in which the A's trompled all over the icky team from NY. Woo-hoo! That's what I like to see. :-) To make the situation even better, the Red Sox WON their game against Texas yesterday. So the Sox are 2-1 and the Yankees are 1-2. Very nice.

I'm just about to leave though, to stop in at Ikea for the second time this week...I need a dining room table and I found a super-cute one there on Saturday--but I was "just looking" on Saturday. My self-control was amazing...you'd be proud.

Anyway...so, moving on to the real reason I'm writing this post...

I told you guys that my life would be full of changes this spring!!

First the move to Selma...

...Now a new job!

Well, not really a new job...I've been offered and accepted a teaching position back at the high school. I'm really very excited!! I enjoyed my time here at the K-8, but my heart is with high school students. I'm going to miss my seventh graders for sure, but my favorite part about this transition is being able to move up with my eighth graders. I will have many of them in my Geometry classes next year and in two years I'll see my seventh graders again. Yay!

I told my kids on Tuesday and they took it pretty well. The eighth graders are really excited and the seventh graders--how can I explain their reaction? I think it was "stunned"? They were silent...they just sat there. I'm not sure if it was from disbelief or silent happiness, but either way, I wasn't expecting that reaction. Yesterday a couple of the kids were sad...they gave me hugs and told me they didn't want me to leave... :-(

I have to be back to work in time for open house. I'm looking forward to seeing parents one last time and hanging out with the kids who come by. Should be fun. :-)

Settling in...

2006-03-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday at 10am I signed the paperwork and moved a few boxes into my new place...in Selma. It rained most of the day, so we decided to push back the rest of the moving-in until Sunday...which turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. Everything was unloaded and my family was on their way home by about 2pm, leaving me the rest of the day to start unpacking and do a little bit of grocery shopping.

The details on the apartment are: 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, washer/dryer hookups, fireplace (woodburning!), attached garage, superclean complex, big backyard...and last night it was pretty quiet...so all looks to be good, so far!

I'm set on bedroom furniture, both bedrooms are furnished for the most part, but I've decided to NOT use my parents "hand-me-down" furniture for the living room (with the exception of the coffee table), and instead see about finding a cute little couch/loveseat set for myself. I feel like I need to start new...maybe some of you can relate.

In the meantime I'm sitting on big floor pillows (which I love and would use forever if I never planned on having guests over), and a really beautiful wooden rocking chair that my cousins in Chicago sent to me for college graduation. I also need a dining table and chairs...and a tv stand...and silverware...and dishes...and linens. Wow, now that I think about it, I need to buy a lot more than just furniture! Eh...all that money...maybe I'll just eat with my fingers, sleep on bare mattresses, and continue to enjoy the floor pillows until I have some spare change. :-)

Moving

2006-03-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the Fresno v Selma choice has been made and I'll be moving soon. :-) Yay!

Will give you details, the new address, and all that other fun information as soon as I have it...enjoy your week!

3.14

2006-03-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY Pi DAY!!

Try slicing 8 Marie Calendars pies into 120 pieces for your anxiously awaiting students...I don't know how I did it, but somehow the food didn't run out.

Kind of reminds me of the story in John 6 of the feeding of the multitudes...

Only, I'm not Jesus...and I imagine (since I don't like fish...) that this pie tastes a whole lot better...

...especially the cherry. hehe.

:-)

home snow issues

2006-03-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

First, I have to decide on a home this weekend. :-) Fresno v Selma, though the choice (in my head) is quite obvious. Prayers would be helpful--I want to make sure my heart doesn't get in the way. Course, I have a heart for a reason...so maybe it's interference should be considered...

Second, it's supposed to snow today. Yeah, in Fresno. Crazy, eh?! But so fun! Woo-hoo!!

Third, I think I have issues. This is the fourth time I've rearranged my classroom in the last two weeks. I can't decide what I like and what I don't like. You'd think that by MARCH I'd have figured out a few arrangements that are beneficial to my students...but ah, that's not the case.

Oh fourth, speaking of work, I'm getting fired today. Well, pink-slipped anyway. :-) Which will only lead to more decisions...!

Ah! Fifth!! I forgot...I just want to say thank you to the federal government for giving me a refund on my taxes. Especially right before spring break. Boy, that was awfully nice of them.

Okay...that's it. :-) Have a great weekend!
jer

February 14th

2006-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish you all a

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Hope your day is great. :-)

Happy Superbowl Sunday!

2006-02-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update...

I'm still living in the house, though we've already moved most of my furniture and boxes out, including my bed. So, after sleeping on the floor for two nights, I finally called a friend and borrowed his air mattress last night. Let me tell you it was like sleeping on feathers, compared to the hard, cold floor. I am greatly indebted to him.

As advisor of the student council at work, I'm in charge of putting together the school dances. We had our first one last Friday night. Junior high dances are so cute! The student council and I spent the afternoon hanging decorations, forming giant hearts on the walls with white twinkle lights, and blowing up balloons. We have a small school, with about 120 7th and 8th grade students, so it didn't surprise me that there were only about 15 boys there, and 40 or so girls... The dj kept the music VERY clean, and even played fun songs like "the twist" and "the hokey pokey". The kids were totally into it! Kristin, you'll have to remind me--did we have those songs at our junior high dances?? Likely not... There were five slow songs--one every 30 minutes--and the boys really stepped up and surprised me by asking the girls to dance. I'm so proud of them, and I told them that... :-)

Today's the superbowl. I'm not going to make any predictions, but I am going to tell you that I hope the Seahawks win. That won't make my friend Chaz very happy...but I think (I hope!) there's more to our friendship than that. haha.

I have my new address and will be sending it out in an email soon...

Ciao for now!

Quick pic--we celebrated my cousin's birthday after the game yesterday--she's 19, and as you can see, VERY mature for her age. ;-) Love ya Whit! hehe.