Boycott

I am boycotting Ali's season of the Bachelorette! However, like any good picket-er; I am making sure I am informed about what I am boycotting. So as a purely educational need, I tuned into the ghastly episode last night with my sister-in-law (whom I just love).

I can't stand her facial expressions. And her voice is super buggy, just like I remember. *PUKE*

The episode didn't disappoint with the common phrases "Thanks Jake for passing her up" (as I remember it was SHE who passed up Jake) and being here "for the right reasons" (and what exactly ARE the right reasons? Nobody has really defined that yet). Its good to know that Ali has put her whole life into this by quitting her job (the one she HAD to have back with Jake) and moving out of her apartment. (So when the episode is over...then what? Back to moms? That's real adult of you.) Shame on those boys for using ABC as a catapult for their own careers. (As the Entertainment Wrestler is clearly doing?) This is a LOVE show right? Because we all don't remember Wes and his slimy attitude therefore we keep people like Craig who clearly is the villain of the season.

As a part of my study to support my boycott I dove deeper into research by reading the profiles of these gentlemen who claim to want Ali's affection. I guessed that our Colorado man whose profession is "outdoorsman" wouldn't make it far but was a fan and in support of the scrapbook fellow whats-his-name. Roberto seems a little but much for me and Frank is a die hard addict to Ali's attention which is interesting. I thought he should be a finalist there at the beginning but now I'm not so sure. And as a completely unrelated side note: WHEN did ABC decide to send the Bachelorette around the WORLD? Seriously, I need a job there. I'd love to be with my man around the world!

I feel more research is necessary so that as I proclaim my die hard boycott antics I am informed enough to actually know what it is I am boycotting. Rest assured, I am completely against Ali as the Bachelorette as she is so annoying and am tired of the Bachelor Reject seasons. Bring on some fresh faces and I'll tune in again.

Last Days

Let it be known the world that I love my job.

Somedays I think I am a good teacher and the kids actually do learn stuff I give them. Like a few days ago while reviewing chapter 2 from eons back, they remembered Locke (and Key), Hobbes (and Calvin) and Mon-tes-que with 3 syllables and 3 branches of gov. I always had my grades updated and posted every Friday. I sent letters home to parents several times and emailed a ton! Parents were always in the loop. and I had no problems with the yearbook this year like last year.

BAM! Good teacher.

Other days I think I have room for major repairs. Lots of former students visit toward the end of the school year; especially those I had as freshmen and are now graduating seniors. A few bring up the lesson we learned about not pushing friends out windows. (Toy Story-don't ask) And they mention that all we did was watch movies. Although this is an entirely false statement, it does make me cringe at that being their memory. I threw pencils at kids in 4th period. And I doubt I talked to every one of my students. I think there are some that I've never really talked to.

Not cool.

There are a lot of things that I will miss about teaching. I loved the start of school when I can recommit to organization. I love that control that I feel - when I say stuff people listen, and they come to me for direction. I love that I have a job I can wear jeans to every day. Early to work. Early home. This is totally my cup of tea. I am ALL ABOUT getting up early and getting the job done. Home by 3ish isn't a bad life. Students keep my style fresh(ish). And I just love looking at them all. Sitting and seeing them in their desks doing their work or chatting amongst themselves. There are some fun kids. I loved my room being right next to the copy room. When I was in 3002, the hike across campus was avoided at all costs. Here in 101A I am neighbors with the copy room, the office, the attendance, and activities. All the major hot spots on campus. It is prime real estate.

Things I will not miss: meetings! I have learned that I am not a get-together and talk about it person. I understand if there is something that needs to be discussed but when we are meeting just because we are told to. That bugs. 4th Period! will not miss them. I don't know what it was about that period this year. Guidance did a grand-slam job at putting a bunch of the wrong kids into the same class. Sure I have a few here and there in all my classes but 4th period was out-of-control this year. Will. Not. Miss them.

So-as I pack up my room for the last time and head up north, I bid my eagle soaring friends farewell. How lucky I was to be hired, on-the-spot, 4 years ago at a job fair at BYU. It has been good.

St. George

For Christmas last December I had gotten tickets for Mark and I to go and see Brian Regan live at the Tuacahn theater in St. George Utah. It finally arrived last weekend! Being that Mark and I are living apart right now, it was extra special to get to spend a vacation weekend with him. It was almost like we were dating again with butterflies and giggles.

Bryan was amazing as expected. We were close enough to the front to see his facial expressions which is half the show, lets be honest. There were parts we laughed so hard we almost fell out of our seats. Too bad we can't remember most of his skits now!

While in St. George we took a slight detour to Zion National Park which was perfectly delightful adventure. I seldom see the sky as blue as it was that day. We had quite the parking karma which resulted in front row parking! A beautiful bus ride up to the weeping rock trail and the riverwalk trail up to the narrows. What a beautiful day. We again took a memory card full of pictures that I'll later have struggles deciding what gets put into our scrapbook and what will be stored forever as digital memories. For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of us sitting on a rock enjoying the river just outside the narrows.

Only a few more days and I'll be moved north. I have lived here in Southern California for 4 years now so it is a little weird to be leaving a job that I love and an area I have come to call home. But words cannot express the excitement I feel as we embark on this new road together. To be together again, that is what makes this life so wonderful. Life is so happy right now.

A few fun memories I wouldn't want to forget:

• Staying at Lanelle's house even though she couldn't be there.
• Breaking my sugar fast!
• Requesting "sugar free" syrup at Denny's to accompany our mile high pancakes, sausage, and ample butter.
• Twelve Dollar ice cream! Really?
• The purchase of our art piece that will be the center of our home decor.
  

Dad

Dear Dad:

What does a year in heaven feel like? Has it been fast? Or nice and slow? Is it like one day or more like many days? Do you even have days? Do you eat like you want to or find that you don't need to eat and don't really have time for it? Who do you hang out with or work with? And how often do you find time to come and visit us here? Is it all white like in the paintings and such? And have you seen your mansion yet? Do you kinda know your fate at the final judgement or are you still waiting that moment? Do you see Grandpa Portlock much? Or do you find that you know a lot of people there that we have forgotten here?

Now that you've been there for a year I bet you're getting the hang of things. We sure miss you here; especially now that Mark is trying to learn your business. You did it so well we often wonder if we'll ever make it work like you did. As much as I wish you were here with us, I know you are busy going about our Father's work. As we reflect on our first year without you, it has been a rough road but we're getting by.

Happy 1st Anniversay in Heaven Dad! It's kind of a big deal for us here so...eat something delicious. :)

Love, Me

Home for Sale

One lovely home in need of a good family. This is a one of a kind find and you will not want to pass up. It comes with some amazing features, and leaves plenty of room for you to make it your own. The green lawn is lush and full with a well rooted tree with ample leaves and branches to provide fabulous shade in front.Interior paint brings the color of the world into your home (brown, green, yellow, brighter yellow, pink, red, and bright electric blue) and the carpet holds the memories of moments long past yet still very present. One wood burning fireplace holds a hole room full of potential.

The backyard has a view that can't be beat. You can enjoy it in your spa along with all that nature has to offer (eight legs and all). And we'll even throw in the canopy that opens up to the stars.
With a little love, this home could be yours for the low low price of sweat, creative juices, and hours of your time.

We'll take it!

We've just closed on our first home. Mark picked up the keys last week and we are well on our way to repainting every wall and reflooring the entire house. We have already weeded and mowed the small jungle of weeds and tree roots that made up our yard. It was quite a road to the finish line but we did it and we are so excited about how cute is going to be when we are finished. Fabulous.

Being Apart

Anyone that has to experience lengths of time without their significant other....I feel for you. I have been trying to figure out a way to explain how much I miss my wife...so here is my best shot. It is like (pardon the analogy) having to go to the bathroom on a long road trip. At first, you think that you can hold it in. So, for a couple of hours you stay strong and distract yourself with meaningless things all the while feeling the discomfort but crowding your mind enough that it doesn't take affect. Then, you see other people drinking water, you pass a river, a lake...the ocean, and it starts to build...and you start to think about it even more. Then it gets to the point, and you all know what I am saying, where it consumes your every thought and all you want to do is open the flood gates and let it all out, but you can't because then you will wet your pants. So, you bare with the pain and agony and you scream at the driver to pull over asap or you will tear their head off and then you can relieve yourself of the discomfort.

That is how it is....we have been pretty much apart for 2 months. For the first couple of weeks, I thought I could take this. I thought about her frequently but I was too busy learning the new job to really think about how much I missed her. Then we saw each other that weekend, and it was like she filled the void. That's how I knew that when she left again, it started to build. I couldn't get her out of my mind and I just hated that we had to be in this situation. I would stare at her picture every night before I went to bed and would yearn for her presence, but still, I fought through the discomfort. Now I am at the point where I can't take it anymore. Everything around me reminds me of her! I find myself talking to her during my pool routes, smelling the pillow she slept on for any trace of her scent, and keeping myself from calling her every other second, just to hear her voice. I am ready to visit whoever the genius was who decided that school should last until the end of May so I can threaten to tear their head off. Then I can be relieved of this discomfort because she would be here with me.

In other words my love, I miss you. I miss everything about you. I hate not having you with me. I hope that I can bear another two weeks. Come home soon.

Me

Yearbook #2

When I was first hired as the Yearbook Advisor, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had ZERO experience in yearbook and didn't have the first clue how to run a class. I. Love. It! This is my second and probably my last book. I am so very proud of it. Of course I have a bias opinion, but I think it is so much better then last year's book. We titled it "You had to Be there". (You may remember when we had the vote a year ago). I can't lie, I am not totally in love with the cover. I requested something different a few times but I guess they just couldn't see my vision.

This year I did a few things different that worked so well.

• I had all the photobars with the kids name over their picture. Turned out really good.
• I assigned all photobar and featurette people to diversify the book
• I got 3200 students in the book at least 2 times
• Our entire book is uniform
• The opener pages look amazing with spots on campus without students on the first page and then the same picture with the same angle full of students. It looks really rad. Following the theme "You had to Be there!" It is one of my favorite parts.
  
  

I also changed the format of the Senior pages and I am super proud of them. I can't tell you how many hours went into these pages. Each Senior had the chance to take a personality photo that I cropped out and put next to their studio picture. They turned out so well, i am just loving them! They also got to put a quote with their name. I think they turned out just perfect. I also made a special effort to notify and invite the Seniors that had missed with passes and personalized flyers. (good thing that didn't take forever). I am so proud of them!

I want to claim the book as something that I did but really the credit goes to my students. The photos were so much better then last year. The book overall just looks so good. And my heart jumps with a bit of joy to see the student body crowded around as they look at those pages. 'sigh'. A job seriously well done!

I am sad to leave. I love the product and all the work that goes into it. I suppose that I will now have to just make yearbooks out of my life.

Uncensored

Remember when Mark fell into the pool? Well, this was no ordinary dump. And he has the bruise to prove it.

Please excuse the graphic nature of this picture but you have to see it to believe it. This was on day 2 after said incident. If only we took a picture of day 3 and 4. It is a mighty bruise.

So tread lightly when you choose to scoff at him in his blunder. Like I said, this wasn't your ordinary dump. Ouch.

Your Pool Man

We are learning fast. In the past month Mark has:

-- Learned the roads of the Bay Area
-- Learned the backyards of 127 customers
-- Cleaned 120 pools each week
-- Been bitten by a dog
-- Made friends with 2 bulldogs
-- Got a ticket for talking on the phone while driving.
-- Slipped into the pool...twice. (that division between the pool and spa is slippery when wet.)
-- Dumped cell phone into the pool. (not all bad since it resulted in a much desired new phone)
-- Added 4 customers
-- Done 4 start ups
-- Scooped countless rats out of skimmers
-- Hired on part time help.

An Unexpected Date

Mark and I are now down to only 3 weekends until my school year is over. When we were first thinking of this time, we hoped that we would see each other ever other weekend. It has turned out a little different which has been a huge bonus.
It was an off weekend for us and I was driving home from school on Friday afternoon talking to Mark. *not at the same time cuz that's illegal...don't worry about it* Mark wasn't able to come down due to the long drive and expense on gas so I was having quite the pitty party.

UNTIL

I arrived at the home where I am staying and guess who is sitting in the front door? My wonderful husband surprising me again. He is such a romantic; I am the luckiest woman in the world. We stayed that night in a Chino hotel that was less then par-but we're cool like that-and then spent Saturday at the Nixon Library & Museum.

Pres. Richard Nixon was born in Yorba Linda (the city where we use to live) and we have mentioned going here for a year but never actually made it over. So I was happy when we did.

The timing was just perfect being that my History students were learning about the Cold War; specifically the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon was the president who brought all our American boys home! So what did I do when I got back to class on Monday? Made it extra credit to go and see the exhibits they had there.

This is the actual farmhouse where Richard Nixon was born. Most of the things inside the home are original to the home (1912) which was of course a highlight for the history woman!

Another fun bit was Marine One that is there. This helicopter was used by President Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. In fact it is the very helicopter that President Nixon said goodbye to the country in after his resignation. Neat stuff. And our tour guide was quite knowledgeable which was a total bonus.
I couldn't be more in love. I have found my perfect companion to travel with me through this life. He is always surprising me and making a special effort to show me how much I means to him. He is as romantic as a scene from a movie. He likes history stuff too and loves to take me to them on our vacations and adventures together. He is just perfect for me! Now if only we could live closer together!

We Be Sewers

Check out what we did in one night! Sara and I busted out some snazzy PJ's as a starter project for Sara's first round of her new sewing skill. With the exception of one tricky part, she did the whole thing! First Sara whipped out her pair:

Then I did mine!

I must admit I thought the stripes would be super tricky but they turned out SO cute. And comfy! Amazing.


I even learned a few new things myself. I had never actaully sewn a buttonhole before, nor had I made a tie waist so...cheers to us and taking on a new skill. Next project? Prom dresses for the girls. :)

Mum's Birthday

Mom's birthday was just a few days ago and Mark and I were able to be there to celebrate. It was beautiful weather so we went to the store and got a bunch of fixin's for a delicious BBQ in Mom's perfectly manicured backyard. We had Pork, corn on the cob, peppers and onions grilled, some delicious sourdough french bread and a fresh fruit salad. I themed it all with lemons just because it was that kind of weather. Delightful

Mom is the best at gift opening. She gets so excited it makes you feel like you've chosen the perfect gift regardless of the expense. This year we replaced her 30 year old wooden spoons and peeler. Although it was bitter sweet to dispose of the set that Franklin Covey gave her for her wedding; we figured 30 years was a pretty good tribute to a wedding gift from a famous calender guy.
I am really wishing I could take really glamorous pictures like some of the blogs I see with their perfect shots every time. But this is as artistic as I can muster. I was loving our tablescape!

So happiest of Birthday wishes to my mamma dear. We are so excited to live closer and spend so many years and milestones together. What a blessing family is!

Speaking of moving: here is a picture of what our backyard view could be--if we ever close on the house!

Pretty great eh?

I could eat the whole bag!

I am currently in the Chex-Mix-Bold-flavor-phase. These things are so good. If I didn't give myself a little bag worth for lunch, I'd eat the entire bag. I'm just saying: when I'm in need of a good snack fix, these hit the spot 100%!

**For the record, my bag reports 60% less fat then potato chips. Which actually doesn't really matter since I don't like potato chips. I'd like to know the comparision to fruit roll ups or ice cream. That would be a valuable measurement for me.**

STAR testing

I struggle with state standardized testing.

Downside:

--most students don't care enough. When the first question is "will this hurt my grade?", its a sure sign that they'll be off task soon.

--anytime 33 Language Arts questions are done in 5 minutes...that's not so good.

--I think they make students feel more stupid. The directions say you will be tested to see how much you learned, then they ask a series of questions that can sound foreign; making kids feel like they have learned nothing. I just don't like that.

Goodside:

--I have 3 hours to catch up on grading.

--I have 3 hours to post grades and clean off my desk

--I have 30 minute class. 30 minutes of 4th period is totally do-able.

**Sidenote**

I've conducted a study.

I have working on being more "available" in my classroom to my students. Rather then giving them the assignment and checking every 10 or 15 minutes on them, I am now continally "roaming" during the entire class time. I have noticed a difference immideatly. I feel a closer connection to my students who are off task. I also feel like more kids get at least through the first question where before the wouldn't. I can look at what they are writing as they are writing it and catch corrections right off the bat. I also find that the kids ask questions more frequently.

Intresting. So although now I have more after school work to do (bummer), my 4th period class doens't drive me crazy (of course problem child has been absent both days) and the other classes seem to be cheating less. **I realize this is a confession of what could be seen as a purge of my lazy teaching style, but it sounds worse then it really is. I promise I interact with the kids and really do teach**

Being Healthy

We've taken a turn for the better. After a year of eating whatever we felt like, it was high time we put our sugar desires aside and be a little more healthy.

So for 3 weeks now we have been living off of protein shakes, fiber bars, eggs, beans, rice, fruit/vegs, and lots of water. We've also increased our physical activity by 100%; going from nothing to 3-5 days a week.

It amazes me how much better your body works when it has the right stuff in it and is physically active. So-cheers to us, we've done our bodies good. Maybe we will shed these few extra pounds we've been carrying. That would be a delightful extra bouns.