A few more pictures... :)

Watermania 2008--Lake Tulloch!!

This past weekend at the lake was AMAZING! The weather was hot, until it rained and thunderstormed on Saturday, and then a fire started on Sunday! I went tubing, and my body wasn't too sore the next day! I really enjoyed the car ride up and down, hanging out on the boat, getting to know friends more and of course, all the good food. Here's a few pictures! Enjoy!

Hi mom!

I hear my mom is going to read my blog for the first time ever: a shout out to her! (hi gma, too.)

I haven't been updating, because there isn't much to report. I'm not enjoying summer school, but I'm getting through. I have been spending my week writing papers, although I got out tonight for a movie, with Mrs.Wan..which is always a good time! I am currently sitting here, working on the papers, nursing my sore throat and cold that has come to visit today. booo.

I promise I'll update next week, because this Friday, we go to the lake!! Tons of pictures to come.

I'll leave you with some recent-ish pictures that I haven't posted! Have a great week!

Do you have...

that one friend that always makes you laugh, no matter what that situation? I have many of those, but these pictures remind me of a particular one. They capture our friendship perfectly! Allen, IMHOWBSH. :)

After all, "A day without laughter is a day wasted." -Charlie Chaplin

I'm famous!..

Well, at least in Watsonville...

Check out the article, and the picture of my students. :)

http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=4617&page=72

Endings, Beginnings and Kung Foo Panda

School is out for the summer!! (except I go back to work on thurs. for summer school...not as much fun.) I had a super fun time with my roomie and lots of other friends today. Leaving my students was emotional this year. I had a great class. A lot of the 5th graders who graduated were crying. It was sweet to know that we have that impact on them. For a lot of them, we are the only constant thing in their lives. Excited to be done, but sad to let them go. :( Luckily, I'll have some of my same students next year, since I'm teaching a 4/5 combo class.

After school was out, we headed to Visili's(greek food) for lunch. I did this last year to celebrate...it looks like a tradition is starting. :) 5 of my friends met us there and we had a great time. Then, we hung around at home for a few hours before we met my mentor teacher for drinks. It was my last meeting with her. She has been amazing, and I would never be the teacher I am today, without her.

After, we went to the movie theater to see Kung foo panda. It is absolutely hilarious. I think it's pretty appropriate for kids, although the bad guy can be scary for really little ones. There was a bunch of kids in the theater that were laughing the whole time. I enjoyed it, and thought that it was super creative. Try to get out and see it! Happy Summer!

Yosemite!

This weekend, I headed out to Yosemite with some of my friends from the young adults group. It was SOOO beautiful. It was a super relaxing time. On Saturday, half of our group hiked half dome, and the rest of us walked around the valley for 5 or 6 hours. Did I mention is was awesome? I so needed the relaxing time! Oh! we also saw a baby bear cub! so cute. :)

What'd you do this weekend?

Pictures...

The wonderful Katie sent me some pictures from this weekend. Enjoy!

A few of my favorite things...

My roommate and I are watching The Sound of Music to finish our Memorial Day. I had an awesome weekend in SLO town with the Nugents and other friends that I was able to see. We did a lot of hanging out, geocaching (www.geocaching.com) and game playing (Sorry, no pictures...still no camera). I love going there...I am looking forward to going when it is much warmer though.

Anyways...I was inspired, so here's a few of my favorite things (besides gumdrops on roses..)

1)Being called Tee-Ti
2)Mangoes
3) Cold Sheets
4) Texting
5) Letters from students
6) Mmmmbop!
7) Frozen grapes
8) firefighters ;)
9) my Wii
10) geocaching...a new favorite
11) lemon meringue pie
12) sushi
13) Bali's...I know some of you out there have betrayed them...I tried the other place too. :(
14) Hearing William tell me what an owl says...hoo hoo!
15) writing to my compassion children

What are some of your favorite things??





*Fire update: Fire is almost contained. Roads are being opened and most people are allowed to return to their homes. Praise God! Please be praying for those who lost their homes.

Wildfires

It appears that fire follows me wherever I go! School was cancelled today because of a wildfire in the Santa Cruz mountains. About 3,000+ acres have been destroyed along with about 15 structures/homes. Our school isn't close to the fire, but the air quality is horrible, and we were stuck inside the classroom for a full 6 hours yesterday, except for bathroom breaks aka...crazyness. Just be praying for those affected, as there are many in are district who are.

Weddings, Best man duties and missing rings and Venezuelan boys...

*Note: Longest post ever(but lots of pictures!)

Hi all. I woke up this morning, about 15 minutes ago, and my body ached all over. Yes, that's how incredibly tired I am. This weekend was pretty awesome. I got to have Thursday and Friday off, which made me LOVE life. On Thursday I worked, pretty much the whole day on a paper that I had to write about Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. 3 hours later, that was done. Christy came in to visit that night and we had tons of fun just hanging out and catching up. I miss her dearly! Friday was the beginning of wedding festivities...(for those who don't know, 2 of my best friends in Santa Cruz got married on Saturday, and I was the best man.)

Friday afternoon I headed to Julie's to help put all the flowers together and help her get her house packed up. That night was the rehearsal and dinner at Tony and Alba's. It was great fun and I got some great presents!

Saturday I got up, and went to get my hair done at 9. I barely made it to the church by 11, got prettied up, dressed and was ready for pictures. I was only in a few of the girls ones, and was done by 1:30 and had a 30 min. break before the boys came. I know...crazy day.

By 2:30 the boys were ready to go for pictures. We took about an hour or so, then the videographer needed us. When he asked the best man, me, for the rings, Allen looked at me and said, "I forgot the ring at home." It was 3:30 and the wedding started at 4:00. So I raced to his house in my dress and high heels and got back in time. Julie didn't know about the story beforehand, so it made for a great addition to my best man speech.

The ceremony was beautiful, and after lots of pictures, and some foosball, we headed to the reception, which was about 5 minutes away.We ate lots of yummy food, had a few toasts and LOTS of dancing. Most of our young adults group was on the dance floor for the whole reception. That's what I call a good time. Around 10pm, I started driving the happy newlyweds to their hotel in San Jose. I dropped them off and spent the night at my friend's house. After getting showered and eating, I rolled into bed at about 2 am. Did I mention I had to get up at 6? Yeah, I basically sleep walked to the car and drove to the hotel to get the dress and tux and get them to the airport. Phew..can't believe I got up in time today!It was tiring, but well worth it, for two amazing people.

Where do the Venezuelan boys come in? On Sunday, I went with my friend Laura to her grandma's house to celebrate Mothers Day. Her grandma's caretaker is from Venezuela, so the whole family came over. It was awesome. I spoke Spanish for about 4 hours straight and ate some amazing Venezuelan food. One of the cousins just graduated from med school, so we got to hear lots of fantastic stories. It was a great mother's day, although I was sadly without my mother. :(

Next weekend brings a flight home, and Missy's graduation from USC. May is my crazy month! If you are still reading, you are awesome! Love you all.

Time Off..

I am praising the Lord that I decided to take Thursday and Friday off. State testing has drained me! Saturday is the wedding...so I took the days off for that...but...I have a paper to write, among many other things. I will update again when all of my Best Man duties are over. :)


Side Note: Has anyone read the book P.S. I love you? I just listened to it on book on tape(since Im driving to Monterey 2 nights a week.) I LOVED it. I'm watching the movie, and totally can't get into it! I really shouldn't read the book first...

Good News...

No...It's not May 15th yet...but....

On April 24th I, and many other teachers got a letter informing us that we get our jobs back!! A ton of teachers took the early retirement incentive and they laid off some support staff. A lot of people are still losing jobs...but at least the kids are taken care of! Sooooo excited!

Nothing much else to report. I went to SLO for a short trip this past weekend. It was an awesome time with my SLO fam. Love them.

Be praying for us up here....Testing starts tomorrow...and so goes the beginning of our fate for next year. God is good and will provide...but some extra prayer can help their little brains!

A quick time to catch up!

First, please be praying for my mom. She's in the hospital figuring out some stomach problems she's been having.

Sorry for the lack of updates! I haven't had any new pictures, since I still don't have a new camera. But...by popular demand, I'm here to update you on the job situation. On May 15th, I will hear about my job, officially. However, I just got a letter from the Union saying that it is their understanding that the district is going to take back a lot of pink slips, so that is good news for me. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but the future is looking good. And, I will be teaching summer school... :( so sad about not sleeping in every day over the summer!



Now for other things. LOTS of things are going on right now. Today is the first day I've gotten to rest in months. I'm going to school on Monday and Wednesday nights and doing homework all weekend. As busy as school keeps me, I LOVE it. I have been learning some awesome things that have really helped me improve my teaching. I'm looking forward to the school part being over.





A couple weekends ago we had Julie's wedding shower and bachelorette party. It was tons of fun. I can't believe the wedding is in 3 weeks! So crazy. Looking forward to it though. I'm waiting for my dress to be done so that I can try on everything together! May brings lots of fun things. My parents are visiting, the wedding, home for Missy's graduation, Sacramento to visit college friends and Yosemite with church. Yeah...every weekend...crazy. Hope you are all doing well!

Fours..because I'm avoiding homework...

No new news on the homefront..so I did a survey. enjoy!

Four jobs I've had in my life:
-Smoothie maker
-Administrative work with Dr. Mundorf
- Nanny
-Teacher!

Four movies I've watched more than once: (only 4?!)
-Pride and Prejudice
-Dumb and Dumber
-While You Were Sleeping
-High School Musical and 2

4 Places I've Lived:
-Lakeside
-San Luis Obispo
-Watsonville
-Capitola

Four TV shows I watch:
- 24
-Grey's Anatomy
-Private Practice
-How I met your mother

Four places I have been:
-Costa Rica
-France
-Spain
- Italy

Four Places I'd like to go:
-GREECE!
- Thailand
- Ireland
-England

Four favorite foods:
-Sushi
- Chicken Marsala pasta @ cheesecake factory
- Lemon sorbet
- cheese and crackers

Four places I'd rather be right now:
-on vacation
-in New York (I want to go back!)
- with my Nugents
- in bed

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:
-Watching my students turn into awesome human beings
-being in another wedding
-going to arizona
-the school year being over

Four places I love to shop:
-Lane Bryant
-Target
-DSW
- Bunny's Shoes

pink slips....

http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=&story_id=3734

This article is about our School and District...my roommate is interviewed in it. :)

Please be praying for our school and district. It is devestating to us all, as we are really unsure of our futures. Thanks!

Busy Weeks and Weekends!

Wow, I have quite the crazy life right now. My weeks really are full until Friday, which I always have free. Sadly, that is usually spent doing homework for my online Masters class. Booo! Mondays I have bible study, Tuesdays class, Wednesdays are dinner with Julie/Allen, Thursdays are church. It is all filled with good stuff...but it is crazy. I feel like I don't see anyone anymore. :( I have a feeling it will get worse starting March 31, when I start going to class in Monterey Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-10 pm! Usually the weekends have a lot of resting time, but these past 2 Saturdays have been busy, but fun. Last weekend, our young adults group headed up to Dave and Busters. It was awesome! This Saturday, I headed up there again, for a birthday party. My dear friend from college, Mike, turned the big 24. Yesterday, I went to church and spent the rest of the day working, doing homework, watching the Jane Austen Book Club and the Oscars.

I have a feeling this is going to be a really random post. I also watched Becoming Jane this weekend. I am already a HUGE Jane Austen fan...and this movie was awesome! I thought Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy did an awesome job. Even though it was a modern movie, they still preserved a lot of the characteristics of the time. The Jane Austen Book Club was cute, too...just a lot of drama, basically. It got me motivated to ready the rest of her novels, since Ive only read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I ordered the anthology on Amazon, so I can get reading over Spring Break. Does anybody else have any movie recommendations that I can put on my Netflix list?

I also greatly enjoyed the movie Once. It won an Oscar last night for best song. I was super excited they won, because it was such a great movie. I usually don't like movies like that, but I really enjoyed it.

In other news, my mid year review is over, and my principal offered me tenure for next year. She also assured me that almost all teachers would receive their jobs back in july. That being said, it looks like I will stick around Santa Cruz for one more year. After the 2008-2009 school year, I will re-evaluate, and I will probably make a move to a different city or district. We will see what awesome plans God has for me in the next few years. Please continue to pray for direction and wisdom!

I'll leave you with some new pictures from the past few weeks....Hope you are all well!

pink slips...

From our Superintendent:

For PVUSD, the Governor’s proposal reduces revenue limit income and other unrestricted funding for next year by $8.8 million from current levels. (The State is recommending that Special Education revenue alone be reduced by $1.1 million below this year’s income level. Other recommended reductions from state funds include transportation, K-3 Class size reduction and 9th grade Class size reduction.). The restricted accounts are projected for a $3 million. In addition, we know that our employees’ step and column movement and a 7% additional cost in benefits will increase our District’s expenditures by $4 million. Although we have initiated an energy education savings program we know there will be increases in operating expenses due to inflation (e.g. insurance, and retiree benefits). With these proposed reductions in income and increased expenses, the bottom line is that we will need to cut $11.8 million relative to our current spending in order to have a balanced budget for 2008/09.

For certificated employees, the District has a requirement to send an initial notice of potential layoff by March 15. Even though layoff notices are being issued, we will do everything we can to retain as many programs and people as possible. For certificated employees, a final resolution of the possible layoff notice must occur by March 15. Please be assured that after this date and throughout the summer, we will continue to work to bring back people and programs as allowed by our budget situation.

**So much to think about. I am 99% sure I will be receiving a pink slip. I don't know how many people will be asked back. I can't be a person who sits around all summer to see if my job comes back. I have to have something lined about, mostly because I have loans to pay! Until then, we pray!

A weekend getaway...

This weekend, I was able to getaway to SLO for a whole 8 hours. Some old friends from college were in town visiting and I needed time away. It was tons of fun! I got time with the girls and time with the SLO fam. Alyssa came along for the ride and had fun, too. Hope you all had a great weekend, too(Except for the Giants winning, mine was great!)