A little Classroom Love?

I am settling in quite nicely into my new routine. We started with WW2 which happens to be one of the better chapters so things are going great. I've put a few things up on my walls and even got the key terms wall mostly finished. (I wish every day that I didn't throw out last year's sets).

I only have one thought. Could I possibly get my room vacuumed? I've been in there 3 weeks now and not once has a custodian vacuumed my room. I have to go up and down the aisles at the end of the day and pick up what I can with my hands. I am a huge believer of a clean and orderly room. So a little vacuuming would go a long way with me. I realize that my room may not look like it needs it terribly, but I would just like a little classroom loving.

Not Cool

The wind up in these parts - I tell ya - Its a miracle our house is still standing. Our fence, however, has not been so lucky. The joy of homeownership. I'm beginning to think its not what its all cracked up to be.

The best part of this story is that this is the second half of the fence to blow down. The first half was already appraised and our insurance company has agreed to cover the costs. Then, our neighbors were going to arrange the appointment to have it fixed. And THEN the rest of the fence blew down.

So how does that work appraisal wise cuz I'm pretty sure the insurance company isn't going to come back out and pay us the difference since it took us a week more to do anything.

Bleh. Not Cool.

Green Thumbs Up

Since getting our Jack LeLane juicer, we have been juicing everything we can get our hands on. It is quite delightful; and a little expensive.

And so we've become gardners. We've planted not 1, not 2, but THREE citrus trees in our backyard. Lemon, Orange, and Grapefruit.

I just can't wait until they start producing fruit. I want so much fruit, that I have to put it in boxes and give it away! So exciting.

A Seriously Unfortunate Event

Remember that one time when our garage was broken into and stuff was stolen out of the cars? Yeah, that was bad. But this was way worse. Our house was broken into the other day.

Can you imagine it? Right in the middle of the day, some stranger used a crowbar to force the door open and come into our home. First they tried the back door, and when that attempt failed, they moved to the garage door to the outside. Then in through the laundry room and proceeded to make their way through the house picking up what their arms could carry. Stolen items include my jewelry box, camera, and our PS3 system.

Looking on the brighter side of things, of course it could be way worse. More things could have been taken, more could have been damaged, more could have been done. But for some reason, I am having a hard time focusing on the brighter side of things. And answer me this: Jesus teaches us to pray for our enemies. How am I suppose to pray for this individual to feel remorse enough to repent of their sin and be accepted into the presence of the Father one day? I just can't seem to find enough love for that yet.

Of course we have taken all the natural measures and increased the number of locks on our doors and upgraded our alarm system. But it is still a little scary knowing we are vulnerable for such evildoers. Sad story.

Missing my book

I miss this history book. Today was my first day starting with the World History classes and looking over their book was a minor nightmare. Paragraph after paragraph with no highlighted or clear information. For someone who has taught this course 8 times, I should not be as confused as I am while reading this text. Seriously, this is lame-o stuff. It is no wonder kids don't like history.

In regards to the classes, I think that things are going to be good. I only saw 2 classes today being that they have block scheduling and today was my prep day. And there was the other sub in there from the past several weeks. Lets just say it was like a fake day. And the next 2 days are CAHSEE testing (which I pronounce K.C. and they pronounce Cassie; I think my way is better) so there won't really be any classes then either. BUT - I am excited about it and am hopeful that this might get me in the door for next year. Maybe

New Job Assignment

I am very pleased to announce that yours truly will be back in the classroom starting Monday! Woo-hoo. I have been substitute teaching for several weeks now, and haven't loved it, but haven't hated it either. (well, that 2 weeks science class stint was a bit much but...lets not go into details).
Well, to my luck and great blessing, I have been selected to fill in as a permanent substitute for a World History teacher at the high school. what!? Crazy to think that I will be doing the same classes that I was doing in Riverside. I just feel so blessed.
So - starting tomorrow I am up and at it again. Perhaps my blogging in increase now that I will have something to jot down. The only thing that makes me slightly nervous is it appears he has AP courses which I have never taught before.

All in all it is very exciting. :)

Snow Day

A fun advantage to working with the youth in the church is the ability to participate in all the activities they have planned. (Although to be fair, this is also a disadvantage as many times we would prefer to use our time to get stuff done) Anyway - the youth had their annual combined snow day and Mark and I were asked to attend. What a perfect day it was. The weather couldn't have been more pleasant; and the company superior. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who have taken us in as friends.

Although neither Mark nor I are really snow people - it was a fun trip. I spent the better part of my runs with my fanny (and face) in the snow. Mark on the other hand braved the slopes head first! Champion.

We headed back slightly earlier then the rest of the crew because we wanted to stop by the few antique shops we passed on the drive up. What delightful finds they had there! Nothing we could afford or purchase mind you, but the kind of stuff you would think to see in a museum. Really fun for the history buff in me.

Check out this day

As a part of my birthday festivities (more on that later) we spent the afternoon in the city with some of the most perfect weather I have seen. Granted, it was very cold - but picture perfectly beautiful

Please note: jumping pictures inspired by Brandon & Michelle. Cuz lets be honest, it is always appropriate to jump in your pictures. :)

My reasons for loving this man are beyond words. Now that we're married, everything just feels right; like we're exactly where we were always meant to be. Being married is just like I imagined it would be, only a thousand times better!

I love you honey. Thanks for the birthday surprises.

Way behind

Somewhere between New Years and today I've lost control of my life. My laundry is just now being done after more weeks then I care to mention. I've been living out of the dryer for more days then are acceptable in any country. We've been eating frozen pizza and cereal for dinner for almost a full week now. My house hasn't been picked up, let alone cleaned, and I've been out of milk for several days. I've almost stopped blogging entirely - thus forgetting all the funny things I had planned to jot down and eventually share. I'm mad at the 8th graders and wish science wasn't a subject. I'm mad at the school district and their empty promises. My New Years resolution to eat healthier and loose a few inches has been re-set about 5 times. I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick. And the cold sore on my lip is at it's peak of annoyance.

Other then that, I attend a swimming class in the evenings, coach the YW volleyball team, and got a new pulsating toothbrush which is a step up according to the packaging. I am a juicing manic - pretty much juicing everything possible. Fruit mixes are always winners, stay away from beets for sure! Bleh.

So there you go. That's why I haven't been blogging. I do have a few thoughts - maybe tomorrow I'll get them posted.

A little side business

Okay, so - I've been digitally scrapbooking and publishing my life for the last 5 years now. Something that I really LOVE to do. In fact, I love it so much, I have run into quite the problem - I don't have enough pictures to scrapbook. In fact, I make layout pages before events even happen just because I love it so much. Thus, my new idea.

With some encouragement from my friends and family, I have decided to try my hand at offering a "photo organizing" service where people send me chunks of their photos (either an entire year or just a single event) and I will organize it into a hard cover book and have it published for you. I am just hoping there are oodles of people in the world who love taking pictures of their family, but they end up in files on their computer, never to be seen again. Or maybe they are printed out and just slid into a plain photobook. Maybe my love could be of some use for these kinds of people. Maybe someone out there in cyberspace will see my blog post and think, "now that sounds like something I need".

Here are some sample pages I have created for my own books.

A website is under construction and we are very much in a beginning stage. But I have already worked on a few books for others and am ready to take on the world (if you will). So, an invitation, if there is anyone out there who is interested in putting their pictures into books that can be shared for generations to come, send me an email (or comment) and I will be happy to send you more information regarding this service. We'll see if it goes anywhere.

Dreams in Disney

Actually, they weren't dreams at all...we did in fact make a trip to Disneyland. Surprised? You shouldn't be. After a potential offer to meet some friends there fell through, we decided that a trip was still necessary to maintain our sanity. This time around we decided to invite the McKeans to enjoy a little magic with us. The days were filled with the usual non-eventful paraphernalia. Loads of candy, laughs, off-season lines, Toy Story Mania love, ice cream, churros, and pictures.

How can people not love this place? The off season is certainly the best, not only because the crowds are limited, but also because the Haunted Mansion isn't all Jack Skeleton-ized. My favorite. It was sure fun to spend some time with my old high school friend Sarah and her man. We really had a fabulous trip. Thanks for asking.

And now, a photosampling of our trippy trip:

We made it through the parks fairly quickly; hitting all the rides by the end of the afternoon. Disneyland is still by far my favorite park - I just simply adore it there.

A stop to see the mouse was definitely in order being that our travel buddies hadn't been to the park in over a decade. I was disappointed in Mickey's behavior to Matt. A little standoff-ish, trying to get the attention of Sarah. I was annoyed because all they wanted was a good "family" photo with the mouse, and he was being really, weird.
But he posed well for me so I am happy with that.

California Adventure is under a ton of construction with the new park additions. Cars land is going to be a real hit when it opens next year, a trip we will most definitely be taking. The weather was simply perfect; so much so that I told Mark we were going to retire in Southern California. I am surprised at how much I miss my life there.
Toy Story Mania is still my all time favorite ride. And Matt and Sarah seemed to like it too which was a bonus when I wanted to wait in line 5 times to ride it. I may not get the "Best Today" score like I use to, but I love seeing my number as the "best in Vehicle." Tender.

And I hate this ride. It appears Sarah did too.

We are sorry we missed out on visiting friends this time around (Heidi and Sara) but know I did think of you as we drove past the 91.

Next Disney adventure on the list? Disneyland Marathon. eeek

Ten Lessons

Things I've learned my 3 days of substitute teaching.

1. I hate Middle School.

2. No amount of classroom management techniques can control a class lacking teacher management.

3. I hate 6th graders most.

4. I like that I don't have to go to the meetings.

5. It's super weird hearing the kids talk outside the classroom about "having a sub today"...and that being me.

6. I miss having my own classroom.

7. Over planning, although helpful, is sometimes stressful because I'm not sure what really needs to get done.

8. Agenda's are underused in classrooms.

9. Spelling counts.

10. Bring a book; you'll be bored for most of the period.

Watch Out People...the Morrell's Want to Go Photo Pro!

So...Kaylinn and I both share a common love and interest in photography. There is just so much that you can do with it and being that the rest of my family took the painting and artsy stuff, this is a great way for me to be artisitc. I just wanted to show off some pictures that we took or were taken of us by someone else that we have preofessionalized. With a little more practice I might seriously consider doing this as a side gig....


(Waterfall in Oregon)


(Wedding Before)


(Wedding After)


(Before)


(After)

Ok...so maybe not pro...but we think we can at least make our photos look pro....love it.

A new chapter

Lots of things have been going on in our little world over here. Thought I might take a moment to update you on a few things.

Our bathroom renovation project have been coming along nicely. We're happy to report that we now have a working toilet in the master bathroom, professionally installed by my man. We are taking on the great project of cleaning out the tile to prep it for grouting and sealing. And we are ready to install the vanity that has been sitting in our garage for the last 2 months. Very exciting. We are having the shower doors installed by real professionals which is sort of a luxury in this adventure and we hope we are stunned at their beauty like we were stunned at their price.

Mom is moved into her house; mostly. At least the boxes are in the garage and the beds are set up. My sister, bless her heart, spent the better part of her trip down here organizing closets and kitchens and rooms until she was blue in the face. Dave is here now redoing the electrical to meet the dreams of my mother. Hopefully the roof doesn't come down as her wishes seem a little bigger then they should be. But my brother is a genius so he'll make it work great I'm sure.

I have decided to finally leave the temp position I've been filling these past 6 months to go back to the classroom. I have been hired as a substitute in the district near my home and am hopeful the work is enough to keep me busy. Plus it will get my foot in the door at the district in hopes for a full time position next year. Fingers crossed.

My younger brother was diagnosed with leukemia just 2 days before his last semester of college was to start. He has been in the hospital in Salt Lake for the last week receiving treatments to stabilize his white blood cell count. Things are looking good as they make plans to return to the Bay Area for further treatments. That has been quite the speed bump in our family as we all feel like we've paid our cancer dues with Dad. I guess we were wrong.

I guess that's about it for now. Just busy with life which has been filled with good things. We really are so blessed.

Holiday Season

The holiday season is now over. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly it seems to end after weeks of anticipation. And the thought of returning back to work and 'life' is enough to suck the Christmas joy right out of you! So in a final effort to bask in the warmth of Christmas one last time, here is a little snip about how we spent the days.

We decided to stay home alone again this year. Santa's visit is always an interesting thing, for the 2 of us, who sleep in the same bed, but we managed to pretend we didn't know when he arrived. Even when he smashed a few things around in the dark. Mark was up bright and early like any school boy would.
Even our little tree seemed to brim with gifts. Included in the packages were new PJ's, Sunday shoes, a wheat grinder, tools, jewelry box, earrings, and the fabulous Juicer! Can you believe it? A little fact about me: I have been watching the Jack LeLalanne juicing infomercial for - I don't know - ages, only wishing I could juice someday. And now I have one. I immediately juiced everything in my fridge. And continue to do it. Delightful. The rest of the evening was spent just relaxing, watching movies, and lounging around. A perfectly merry Christmas.

Now it is a new year. Resolutions are flying wild as people prep up to be their best selves for the next 14 days. I have always loved goal setting and "resolutions" on a more frequent basis then I care to admit. Thus, New Years Resolutions are kind of a big deal to me. Granted, I only completed maybe 40% of last years resolves - I am committed to being better this year. Plus, I'm really excited about most of them which makes me think I'll be successful in completing them. I've listed a few here to satisfy your curiosity.

Grow a Fruit Tree-yes. And let the record show I set this goal BEFORE the juicer but now it makes the need that much greater. Who doesn't love fresh lemonade? Seriously.

100% Visiting Teaching-I can't say I'm the worst visiting teacher in the world, but I most definitely have room for improvement. This year I resolve to visit a few sisters in my ward each month without missing. Since I'll be in this area for a long while, I might as well stop playing the "in transit" card.

SF project-I can't disclose what this is here but lets just say I am super excited about it and have already started.

Participate in a physical activity-By this I mean be part of a group of people doing some sort of physical stuff. I really love running and have a lofty goal to run the Walt Disney World Marathon held every January. Anyway-a marathon-that's a physical activity. Or a volleyball league. I guess I have sort of accomplished this goal because I have signed up for a bi-weekly swimming class for the next 3 months. Signing up is one thing, but to complete it, that is another.

Lose Weight-Who doesn't make this goal right? The months before I met Mark I was in the best shape of my life. I was working out 5 days a week. Eating right. Taking care of my nails and hair. You know, the whole "attract a man" stuff. Now I am a little more behind then I wanted to be so a swift kick with a new year is just what I need.

Study the New Testament-So - announcement - I have had a church calling change. I'm now the Gospel Doctrine teacher. (what?) yes. Which is hugely intimidating and kind of makes me want to barf. That being said, I am really excited for the opportunity to actually study the New Testament. We've ordered a bunch of new study materials to assist in the endeavor. Although I'll miss the Young Women terribly, I embrace this change.

Finish the Bathroom-Ok, the house renovations projects are never ending. And probably all equal in size. But - this one is a little closer to being done then I ever thought possible. Check out our newly tiled bathroom! Yes ladies and gentlemen, these DIYers got the job done in just shy of 7 months. Now, it isn't finished yet. It lacks grouting, doors, a vanity, sinks, a toilet, paint, light fixtures, and all the knobs and buttons bathrooms require. But lets just focus on the tile right now. Its nice right!Ok. So there you go. We certainly look forward to 2011. We have great plans for the next 365 days and look forward to continuing to report to our imaginary readers.