Randomness...

I really need to keep this thing up. I am a complete slacker. :) Life has been incredibly busy this past month. I can't believe there is only 8 days left of school. Where did the year go?! Can I teach 5th grade next year? Ha...it's a good thing I have Jesus...that's all I can say!

I have had a lot of out of town friends visiting lately. Missy and her friend came to visit and Rachel is here now. Seeing them and enjoying my time with them has put me in a semi-weird mood again. There is this unexplainable feeling like something in my life is off. I think I'm just at the point where I'd like to know what to do next and where I'm supposed to be. I don't know if it's because I'm not fitting in like Id like to or just because I'm ready for something new. Too much thinking.

When Missy was here, I took the day off, and we headed up to San Francisco, for a very crazy and very short trip. It was nice to be in the city again. We went to alcatraz, where I enjoyed the audio tour in spanish...good times!

Today, Rachel, my best friend from home, came into town. She's going to stay until Tuesday. She was able to come meet my class in September, so now she gets to see how they've changed! Tonight we went to see Pirates 3 and went to Marini's for yummy ice cream. Pirates was pretty good, I was impressed. It always amazes me that Keira Knightly's hair is always like it is, even after she is fighting dead people. haha. The rest of our weekend is full! We have some fun plans for Sunday, a picnic on monday with some other out of towners and then school on tuesday! I'm so excited to have her here!

I am enjoying the last few weeks of school and I am starting to get excited for the summer! Next weekend Im going to see the USA mens soccer team play China..in San Jose. And the week after, Im going to a giants/As game. I will of course boo both teams. :) I am simply going for the lack of baseball in my life. At the end of June, the padres play the giants. I hope to be there for those, too. June is full of tons of fun! I am going home for graduation festivities, going to see Kenny Chesney, going to SLO, going to weddings and just relaxing. Yay for summer!!

PS...Fyi This week is teacher appreciation week. ;o)

Persistence in prayer

Tonights bible study was awesome, yet so convicting. How often am I persistent in what I'm praying for? No often enough. I tend to pray for something, and then just move on to the next thing. There is only one thing I can say that I have consistently prayed for since I was about 10 years old. That prayer is for my dad and for my hope that he will choose to walk with the Lord, again.

And then once a prayer is answered, no matter how it is answered, I tend to only be thankful for the answer, and not for the process. I think the Lord makes us wait sometime, so that we may grow from the experience we have waiting for his answer and timing. We got to read about Hannah and her experiences with prayer. She was so consistent in asking for what her heart really desired, a baby. And when she was blessed with that, she immediately overlooked the gift and praised the giver. I think too often we focus on the gift and forget where the gift came from. "Every stream should lead us to the fountain; and the favours we receive from God should raise our admiration of the infinite perfections there are in God." I loved that quote that we read in the book. I want to be more purposeful about praising God for every gift and experience He has given me.

Ahh so many thoughts, so few words to express them with.

Mcboys, open house and pain...

Rachel came over for a 2 hour episode of greys anatomy. They are trying to do a spin off of Grey's with Addison. Interesting...although we did get a nickname for the new love interest. I wonder if it will work...Good times with my "sister" watching all the mcboys.

Had open house last night, too. About 11 families out of 17 came. Not too bad. My chango bar bribe may have helped. It was really fun, the kids had a checklist, and they gave their parents a tour of the room. I find it hilarious, that by the end of the tour, each parent knew who Mr.Wan was. They showed them his art work and the letter he wrote them. Totally awesome. One boy even showed his dad how he holds the door open for the girls. haha.

I had an awesome time hanging out with all the moms. They are so fun to talk to. Once my Spanish gets going, it's hard to stop it! They are always asking questions about what I do, why I'm not married and why I can't have the same class again next year. When I mentioned that there is a possibility I may be moving grades and it would be an English class....a few parents said they would take their kids out of bilingual. ha! I didnt even tell them if it would be third grade. Its always good to know that people think youre doing a good job. :)

The day before open house, I started to get really bad pains in my lower back. I kind of shook it off, since it had been a stressful week and I usually have back pain when Im stressed. Well I was at school for 12 hours yesterday, and by the end, I could barely sit up enough to drive home. I got a few hours of sleep, and wasn't feeling much better today. I took a half day off of work because I needed to go get a few shots for Kenya. As soon as I walked out of school, I felt the pain get worse. (its easy to ignore when youre working.) I begged Alyssa to take me to a chiropractor after we got our vaccines. I went to her awesome doctor who wasn't technically even open today. He was amazing. He knew something was wrong when one leg was longer and I couldnt even hold my left one up. He took xrays and found out that I have a twisted vertebrae in my lower spine. He readjusted and sent me home. Since then I laid on Alyssa's couch, Julie and Kirsten's couch and now mine. It is really no fun at all! I'm just glad that I know what's wrong and that he can do something about it.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!!

Wow...

It's been awhile since I've posted! Lo siento, Megan. I should really keep up with this thing. What has happened since April 6th? Lots! The week of April 6th, was my spring break. I went to SLO(got to see the Nugents!) for a short visit, went to San Diego(met my brand new cousin!) for a few days and then ended my trip in LA visiting Matt and Missy. I had an awesome time...but it was hard being away from Santa Cruz for so long! I have enjoyed being back, especially since I only have 27 days of school left. I can't believe it. Where did this year go?!

It looks like I will be teaching another grade next year. What grade? I have no idea. I can't imagine starting over again, it seems so unreal. Maybe I should become a beach bum. Now that would be awesome.

Kenya is getting closer and closer! This Friday I am taking a half day at work so that I can go get all of my shots. No fun. I've had a lot of support money coming in, so I'm really excited about that. I got to talk to my principal about the trip and she really wants to contribute, as do a few of my other coworkers. So awesome. God is providing, as if I should have ever doubted. I can only look forward to the ways he will use me there. Claudia and I are going to be preparing the dramas and puppet shows that we will use in the schools. I am also going to help set up some of the Pastor training seminars. I may even be leading/teaching a women's breakout group. ahh! I'm still in shock that I'm going on this trip. Beyond excited!

Here's some recent, random pictures. :) Hope everyone is doing well.

Interesting form of punishment...

I actually laughed out loud when I read this. Did she actually think the kids wouldn't tell anyone?? Wow...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/05/clothespins.punishment.ap/index.html

"All of me, whatever I have left, I'm yours."

He was a darn good James Bond. I was pretty impressed. It was a good story line and since I love watching poker, it made it that much more fun. It wasn't a typical Bond movie, but still pretty good.

2 more days until the most awesome day of the year....Baseball opening day! :o)

3 new movies!

I know, I know, 2 posts in one day...crazy.

But I've been watching a lot of new movies, so I wanted to post about them. On Friday, I got to reconnect with 2 college friends near and dear to my heart! It was a short visit, but it was fun, as always. We all watched The Prestige. It's about magic and magicians. It's actually a well made film, but I was SO tired I didn't really understand it until 15 minutes after the movie was over. It's one of those that you need to be really awake for. But, it was really good, I recommend it.

Today the roomie finally sat me down and got me to watch Singing in the Rain. Not that I was fighting it, but we just haven't had the time. It was a fun movie to watch, and I usually always love musicals. If you haven't seen it, you should. We watched that from about 7-9.

On Friday I had rented Casino Royale and Blood Diamond. Right after Singing in the Rain, we decided to go with Blood Diamond. Big change? uh yeah! It was an awesome, awesome, awesome movie. I was impressed with the performances and the overall story line. It breaks my heart to know about all those people losing their lives, just because of diamonds. Why do we choose diamonds for engagement rings anyways? There are tons of stones that are just as pretty! Makes me want to be in Africa now...not July!

Tomorrow is all about Bond...James Bond.

Spring Break...

is coming!!! I am so looking forward to it. I love Easter time. Being able to celebrate Jesus rising from the dead always gets me excited about the Word again. I have been praying more that I would have this "fire" ALL year long! A few days ago, I talked about Easter with my 2nd graders. I haven't heard any complaining yet, so I think I'm safe. ;o) We talked about how we are having a party right before break, but I wanted to hear their views on Easter. I heard all about the bunny, the candy and the eggs. When I asked if they knew the real meaning of Easter, one kid yells JESUS!! It was awesome. We actually spent a good 5 minutes talking about how Jesus rose from the dead. God has been providing awesome opportunities with my students, my co workers and my roommate. One of my co workers recently started attending a bible study, so she always wants to talk to me about what they are studying. It has been an awesome blessing! I have been praying and praying for them all and God is starting to bless me for my patience and determination.

Today has been very productive! I got up, went to school to get something I forgot, went grocery shopping, cleaned the bathroom, did the dishes, did my laundry AND wrote my Kenya letter. All before 2pm. Not bad... Hope you are all having a great weekend, too!

New Movie

Last night, I went out with the girls to dinner and to see the new Mark Wahlberg movie. A few weekends back, Alyssa and I had a 12 hour marathon of Mark Wahlberg movies. It was hard core! We had a great time and we've been looking forward to this movie coming out. Basically, the movie was AMAZING. There was 4 of us girls sitting watching a typical guy movie and every 10 minutes we kept saying how awesome it was that things kept blowing up. The fact that Mark Wahlberg was in it, made it 100 percent better! It was a really interesting plot line, a movie that actually makes you think...hmm. We loved it and want to see it again! haha. I think I liked it because it actually reminded me of 24...which I love.

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. I am on my way out of town with my roomie to meet some of her college friends. Have a great weekend!

bowling and bumper cars...

Here are some pictures of our last 2 events at church...

A couple weeks ago we all went out bowling. It is always a good time! I bowled a 128 or something like that. The next game...not so much. Afterwards, we all went out to eat. It was an awesome time with some awesome people. Wow...how He has blessed me!

When bowling was almost over the sillyness factor was multiplied by 10. I love both of these boys very dearly...so for fashion reasons, I won't reveal their names. ;-) Unfortunately, I don't think the socks helped their bowling scores much.....

Bumper Cars at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We were able to have a private party at the boardwalk with free pizza and free icees! It was an awesome time, and about 45-50 people came! I was VERY sore the next morning, but it was totally worth it!

Kenya, July 2007

Since I have tomorrow off, I figure it's ok to stay up late to update the blog. :) So..the news I was talking about on the last post is that I am officially going to Nairobi, Kenya on a short term missions trip this summer! I am super excited. If you want to be praying, you can definitely be praying that God prepares my heart for everything that is going to happen over there. I totally have a heart for the AIDS epidemic and the people affected by it. Especially after reading that teachers are highly affected by it, too. It also really hurts my heart to know that it is the young people, 18-25, who are most infected by this disease. It's all really overwhelming. I can't wait to get there and be able to show the hope of Jesus Christ!

Some interesting facts:

• Kenya is one of the nine countries in Africa hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic.
• Approximately 10 percent of the adult population is infected with HIV.
• It is estimated that 2.5 million Kenyans are infected with HIV/AIDS.
• In a study conducted in 2001, it was reported that on average, 600 Kenyans die of AIDS everyday.
• The average age for life expectancy has been reduced from the 63 years to 48 years due to AIDS.
• It is reported that 18 teachers die due to AIDS every month and about 6,570 die annually.
• Seven out of every ten HIV positive Kenyans are aged between 18 and 25 years.
  Approximately 1.3 million young people have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
  

Life in Santa Cruz..

has been amazing! Praise God for the blessings he has given me! I have been blessed with a great church, friends and roommate! God is good. Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm not even sure if anyone reads this thing....

School has been going well lately. Nothing new...except testing is coming up in a month and we're all feeling the pressure. Violence has gone up lately and my emotions are up and down. Today, 2 of my non readers, read 2 pages of words. I have been working with them on a new phonics program. I started getting excited and jumping up and down. They all think I'm crazy! I love them...and will be so sad when my first class moves to 3rd grade! Ok...so I won't ALWAYS miss them...but it will still be sad. This week I am taking thursday and friday off. I am getting a massage, having lunch with some friends and sleeping in. I'm soooooo excited! Couldn't come at a better time. :)

My time at Santa Cruz Bible has been awesome, lately. I'm still doing the activities thing and the past few things we've done have been amazing successes! I love it, but am trying to find a good balance between church and school.

When I get home, I'll post some pictures from bowling. And maybe some news later tonight....

Hope everyone is doing well!

William Josiah

Here are some super cute pictures from my very short trip to SLO...

Finally!

Finally...all the pictures i promised are here! Just in case anyone actually reads this thing....

Bedroom and Kitchen!

Our little balcony :)

In other news....it looks like I'm going to Kenya this summer! 2 week missions trip with Santa Cruz Bible! It will be mostly all young adults! We will be educating local pastors and communities about how to best care for and love their country men who have AIDS. I am sooo excited about it! Go has totally called me to do something this summer...because I have it all off!! I will also probably be visiting SLO, volunteering at church and maybe at the aquarium! Very excited about the summer!

ALSO....William Josiah was born to Katie and Tim on February 12th!

Everyone is doing well. He is a cutie...or so I can tell from pictures! Going to visit next weekend....

Sorry!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been pretty hectic around here! We moved a few weekends ago and are LOVING it! I would post some pictures, but at the moment the camera is dead and I am still trying to find the battery charger...gotta love moving. Its a 2 bedroom apartment with a nice kitchen and nice living room. I am really enjoying having a roommate again, too!

My parents were here this past weekend to bring my bed and see the new place. They loved it too! They loved that it was about a 10 minute walk to the beach and Capitola Village (lots of shops and food)!

Yesterday was the Superbowl party with the young adults group. I planned most of it, and it was pretty successful..Praise the Lord! We had a great time, and Yay for the Colts..except Manning so didn't deserve the MVP award...lame.

I am so looking forward to the next few weeks because I have 2 3 day weekends! YAY! Also...I'm thinking the Baby Nugent will be here soon too! double YAY

Hope all is well with everyone! I promise to post pictures soon!

Elevation 2007

This weekend, my young adults group took off for the Northstar resort in Tahoe. We got there really late on Friday and got back late on Sunday night. On Saturday I just hung out in the lodge with Laura. Skiing/snowboarding isn't really my thing and I was totally up for relaxing. It was really nice! There was a yarn shop in the village, so I bought knitting needles and yarn and Alyssa taught me how to knit! I'm still pretty bad..but its been fun learning! That night we went out for pizza in Truckee and stayed up late playing gin rummy....always a good time! On Sunday we hung out in Northstar village and went tubing and ice skating. The tubing incident wasn't so great. We paid 18 bucks and we got there and they had cut the run in half, because they didn't have enough snow! We were so disappointed that we only went down once and tried to get our money back. It didn't work so we just headed back down to the village. That was the only disappointing part of the trip. I had a really great time! I love Santa Cruz Bible Church and am just working on where I fit in with the young adults group. My first event that I'm planning is the Superbowl party, so I hope it is awesome!

In other news...this is the first time I have ever actually gotten to watch 24 live on tv. Usually I have bible study on Monday nights, but we took the night off because of the ski trip. This season is good. Stop reading if you don't want a spoiler. They already set off a nuclear bomb..what else can they do this season?!?! OH and I can't believe that guy is Jacks brother...hes been a part of so many terrorist things. ok..wow. This show is amazing. If you're not watching it, you should start....plus who doesn't like Kiefer??

Well, this is my last week of living in Watsonville. As of Friday, my new address will be:
1795 47th Avenue #D
Capitola, CA
95010
So excited to be in the new place! My parents are coming up next weekend to bring my bed and everything else I need! I will be sure to post pictures when I get there on Friday! Hope everyone is doing well!

Free at last...

"Free at last, free at last. Lord Almighty I'm free at last." The great words of Martin Luther King, Jr. What a great man he was. I can't wait to teach my students all about him! My book of the month is about him, and I am looking forward to finding out all about their dreams. Speaking of that, Cassie was in town this weekend, and we were able to go see the movie Freedom Writers. I HIGHLY recommend it! I have read the book and was even more pleased with the movie! (except Dr. McDreamy is not so mcdreamy in this movie:o( It was a great teacher movie, and I felt soo motivated by it! I can only hope to have that big of an impact on students.

This weekend was full of funness! Cassie came up from SLO to visit. On Saturday night we stayed up late watching Greys Anatomy...my fault! Sunday, we headed off to church, then to lunch and then to watch the Charger game. Sadly...that ended in a defeat..but hey, there's always next year! On Sunday night we got dinner at Pizza my Heart and Ice cream at Marinis in downtown Santa Cruz, followed by bowling with some friends at church! Today we went to Monterey to go to the aquarium. I have a year pass...so I have been many, many times. We also got to eat at Bubba Gumps, which is always a good time. It was a fun, fun time to spend with the sister!

Tomorrow is the first day back! I am very excited..and will be very tired if I don't get to bed soon!!! Hope all is well with everyone.

P.S. is anyone else cold?!?!

My new years resolution is to...

update this blog more often!

I am back in Watsonville and am dreading going back to school on Tuesday! I am excited to see the kids, but not so excited about the early mornings! I had an awesome Christmas in San Diego, it is always fun to be with the family for the holidays!! It's a lot different now that I don't go home as often as I did in college.

After getting back from San Diego, I went to SLO for about 4 days. It was a sweet time with Tim and Katie, the Fuglers and Ben and Meike. I miss everyone there dearly! I can't handle being away for too long! Luckly, there is a baby on the way, so I will be back soon!

And now, I am back in Watsonville. Where I will only live for 2 more weeks. On the 26th I am moving up to Capitola with another teacher! I am so excited! I will finally get to have my own place! She (and the rest of my staff for that matter) is not a Christian. But they have been noticing the fun times I have been having at church...so it's only a matter of time!:o) I am excited to be living closer to the beach and closer to church!

I have become very involved at Santa Cruz Bible Church. Once the young adults leaders found out I used to plan activities...they asked me to join leadership...now after 4 months I am in charge of activities. I know..none of you are surprised! haha. My first big one is the Superbowl party...very excited! In December we had a young adults banquet..and I wore a dress! It has been hard adjusting to a new group of people, especially when they have been friends for so long. I really enjoy the Sunday services and have been blessed to find an awesome bible church. We are going to Tahoe next weekend...I'll definitely update after that!

Cassie is coming to visit this weekend! Sadly we will miss the 24 premieres...so they're being taped!!!

I hope all of you are doing well and had a great holiday time!

Oh and GO CHARGERS!!!!

Value your vote and vote your values!!!!

Get out there and vote...my second graders are :o)