Random Thoughts for the Day

I'm enjoying time off and time for myself.
I'm thankful for an amazing, loving and generous husband.
Excited to see family over Christmas.
I'm always eager to make peanut butter balls, but...
Praying for dear friends who are struggling right now...you are loved.
The sun is shining and that is glorious!
I must read.
Love Christmas music.
Thankful for girlfriends.
I enjoy hot tea and crosswords in the mornings.
Unsure about my new hair cut...might end up chopping it all off now.
Did I mention I'm excited to see family? I really can't wait, but I have to.
Super excited to see friends I haven't seen in a long time...especially friends from college and camp.
Love hearing others say Merry Christmas.

It's a wonderful day today. Sending love to family and friends.

Christmas Cheer

A year ago I took this picture as we were driving by the Space Needle on our way to Ballard to watch the Maldives play at the Tractor Tavern (Happy Birthday to my dear friend Molly). I absolutely love Christmas and this time of year, especially around the city. I love the smells outside and in my kitchen, I love the freindly gatherings with people we love, I love the excitement of buying, wrapping and giving presents, I love our travels to see family, I love the message shared at church during Christmas and how happy it makes my heart feel, I love the holiday music in every store...I LOVE IT ALL.

On our drive home last night from Molly and Ryan's house (dear, dear friends of ours) we were gloating, in a non-malicious way, about how great it is to be loved by so many people. The past couple of weeks we have shared more glasses of wine, great food, lots of laughter and have been surrounded by absolutely wonderful and amazing people...all who love us so much. It's somewhat overwhelming, but at the same time absolutely exciting. In return, Chad and I share that same love to others that we receive from all our friends. The feeling of love and friendship is mutual, and to think about how strong those feelings are, is even more rewarding and makes me feel all warm and happy inside. I know, sappy, right? But, it's true.

When I think about Christmas, I think about the love that we share with all our friends and family. It's an absolutely wonderful time of year...something that should not only happen once a year, but year round. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of love, friendships and laughter.

Taking the Time...

Chad and I have lived in the Seattle area for almost 6 years now and often I think we forget how fortunate we are to be in such a beautiful area. On my drive to work a couple weeks ago, I was able to capture the beauty of Mt. Rainier, Lake Washington, and a majestic pink-ish colored sky through the trees. It was simply awe-inspiring and made me realize that I need to slow down in life more often. That's tough for us (me) to do, but we (I) are (am) going to work on this.

Thanksgiving in Oregon

We had a great Thanksgiving with my family in Oregon. After a couple of days at Granny and Papa's house we headed up the Oregon coast. Chad is pretty good and putt-putt...me, on the other hand, not so good.

Mid-Way Stop...

...at a winery! As we drove up the coast towards Tillamook, we stopped at a small winery...for a leg stretch...or for a good glass of wine.

Oregon Coast

The last couple of days of our Thanksgiving break we spent driving up the Oregon Coast. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and somewhat warm (60 degrees).

Nut Shell

Here's what's been going on in our lives the past couple of weeks...

Prepping and teaching and scrambling to get everything in by Winter Break.
Small Tri Delta get together with friends from college (what a great visit).
Thanksgiving trip to Oregon.
Much needed visit with family.
Two day drive up the Oregon Coast.
Last minute planning and preparation for Outdoor Ed. trip to Canada with my 6th graders.
Christmas shopping and Christmas music being played constantly (I LOVE Christmas).
Continious Survivor gatherings on Thursday (I look forward to this every week)!
Making pico de gallo with 22 6th graders...learning about Mexcio's culture.
Final check on items packed for week long trip to Canada with 6th graders.
Looking forward to bus departure to Canada at 6:45 a.m. on Monday with approx. 80 kids.
Enjoying the glorious sunshine-winter days in Kirkland.
Girls night out with friends from church...I highly recommend The Christmas Carol in 3-D!
Woke up this morning with a head cold...hoping it goes away by Monday. (Come on netty-pot...work your magic!)
Thankful for my husband who is doing laundry because my head weighs a ton. I love him.

Good day to all. Love.

Thank You, God

Yesterday I was mad. Today I am relieved, or I should say at peace. I am finished with my first round of conferences. I have a long road ahead of me, but with God by my side I know everything will be okay. I was reminded today that it's okay to have the heart that I do, to go home crying every other ngiht because I want the best for my students yet unsure as to how I am going to get them to be the best that they can be...BUT I can't do it alone. Someone shared with me today that being a Christian teacher is almost a tougher job than just being a teacher. My heart aches for my students that are lost, my students that have nobody to trust, those students that need that one-on-one support at home, but it's just not there. Sunday at church I was reminded that I can pray for my students. Duh! What was I thinking? More than anything many of my students need someone like Jesus. I'm not the type of person to "sell" Jesus...I just don't feel comfortable doing that; however, the love, care and concern that I share with my students is enough. I can't personally share Jesus' story with them, but I can share Jesus' love. Jesus loves my students, I love my students...I am praying for my students because they are lost and need love. Thank you, God.

Politically Correct

I've always had a tough time at being that "politically correct" person and saying things appropriately versus just spitting out what's on my mind without the use of a filter. With close friends it's easy to NOT use my filter, because I'm in a comfortable enviroment and they would expect no less (at least, that's what I'm hoping). Over time a relationship has been established. I suppose even in a well established relationship I can open-mouth-and-insert-foot, but that's who I am. I'd like to say that it should be easy for me to speak my mind and be myself whenever, but that's not the case. So, I suppose, I CAN use my filter when I REALLY need to, although I really don't enjoy being NOT ME. One case in particular is during parent-teacher conferences.

I've witnessed my first round of parent-teacher conferneces and going into the conferences I was excited, nervous and purely anxious to see deeper into the roots of where my students have come from. I enjoy having that open communication with the parents, but honestly with today's society it's down right challenging for me to have that continious open communication...and then when all is not going as I would like it to...I want to scream at parents. In my perfect little world, my little bubble, it would be outstanding if every student could go home to "Mrs. Cleaver" with an apron on, homemade cookies fresh from the oven and a glass of milk sitting on the table for snack, and an eager mom ready to sit down with their son/daughter to help them with homework. Then once homework is finished, my students could go play softball in the streets, build forts in the neighborhood forest nearby, and ride bikes off sweet jumps. Shortly "Mr. Cleaver" comes home from work, hugs "Mrs. Cleaver" and the entire family sits down at the table for dinner. Oh-wait. My bubble has been popped.

What has happened to the value of family, the value of relationships, and the value of our education? (Oh my goodness, these could all be three separate posts where I would open-mouth-insert-foot.) Who cares if so-and-so is skilled at soccer, into theater, shopping at Abercrombie and has an I-phone (Seriously? A 12 year old does not need an I-phone!). Seriously, we don't need to be keeping up with the Joneses, unless they are like the Cleavers, of course. What about reading, writing and math? What about family time? What about a sit-down-family dinner? What about making sure your child is successful in their education? Have parents checked to see if homework is finished? I can't tell a parent that their child is failing because it's their fault. Oh how I would love to, but I can't do it. That's not being "politically correct", or shall I say "political". However, OF COURSE it will be my fault when a student is failing, but if only parents could see that I can't make a student successful all by myself. Due to the pressures of society, as a teacher I HAVE to have that support at home. I can't do it alone.

More than anything I want ALL my students to be successful. I want all my students to understand that it's okay to fail and learn from their mistakes. I yearn for my students to see achievement in their own works. I want honest and valuable support from students' home life. I want to wave my wand and make all my students' worries go away so they can be great students and have fun being kids (because they don't know how to anymore). I would love for parents to slow down, take a step back and just take that extra time to spend with their kids (preferably not in front of a t.v. or game console of some sort).

Like I said, my bubble has been popped. I have entered into a profession where I have to be politically correct. I enjoy the challenges and rewards of conferences (even though they are emotionally exhausting) and I will continue to strive to be the best teacher that I can be.

Classroom...Before and After

As promised, here are pics of my classroom.

Before...

After...

Classroom...Just Kidding

I took pictures of my classroom today...I left my camera at school. Pictures of my classroom will have to be posted another day.

On another note...I'm tired. I feel wiped and my "hmph" is gone. Grades are due in a week and I feel behind. The only thing that gets me through my teaching day are my 6th graders. They are lovely. Although today I wanted to strangle a couple of them...all with love of course...and maybe duct tape.

Note to self: 6th graders can't handle sitting next to their close friends. They just want to socialize and hang out and not pay attention and interupt their teacher...not meaning to though. Sometimes it's so hard to be or get mad at them.

A True 6th Grader

I have so much to share about teaching, my school, my classroom, my students...and everything else that is going on in my (our) life, but I just don't have the time to sit and focus on writing...because all I currently focus on is teaching, my school, my classroom, my students...(poor Chad).

I need to start writing down the things that my students say and do because honestly, not only does it make me love even more what I get to do every day, but it snaps me into reality of how pure, innocent, and naive my students are to our cruel world. It also makes me realize how much they need me, just as much as I need them, to get through the day to day happenings; including life situations that seem unfair for a 6th grader, an 11 year old. Here are just a few happenings/sayings in my daily life as a 6th grade teacher...

• First day of school, "So, you're my 6th grade teacher? (Being looked up and down) Are you old enough?"
• (Second week of school) As the students were working quietly at their desks, I popped into the room next door to grab something off the printer. When I reentered the room they all started clapping. I was appreciative and quickly instructed them to get back to work. Apparently I had done something right in just a few days.
• In reading aloud Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (great book by the way), there was a scene where Danny's dad cocked the rifle back to shoot at a pheasant. Not expecting it, the students started laughing when I said "cock". What is going to happen when I have to teach a bit of sex ed.?
• Two boys came overly excited into class on a Monday. They were eager to share and show me their new purchases from the weekend. I was a bit nervous, and then suddenly both of them wipped out a stick of deoderant. I laughed so hard and my nervousness moved to thankfulness.
• One morning a student got dropped off an hour and a half before school started. She was crying, so without question I opened the door to let her in. She proceeded to share with me that her mom and her mom's fiance got into a big fight the night before and her mom woke her up in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor of her bedroom. Then she had to get dropped off so early for school because her mom and the fiance were still fighting and they didn't want to be around each other....mom just went to work. My student was afraid because she couldn't figure out how to solve their problem so her mom wouldn't call off the wedding. (Wow...talk about a gut wrencher.)
• A mom came in to talk to me about the worries her daughter had about being gone for our week over-night trip to Canada. The jist of the story is, mom is a recovering breast cancer patient and when my student was gone a year ago for an extended period of time visiting family, she returned to mom being in the hospital due to an infection. My student is worried that if she is gone for a week at our outdoor ed program, when she returns she won't have a mom anymore...even through her mom is clear and free of cancer. (Seriously? The worries of a 6th grader are unfair. They're only 11.)
• An unexpected student and her mom came into my classroom one morning because the student, while at her dad's house the night before, made me a "muffin-cake" to show me she was sorry for a recent loss. For all that don't know what a "muffin-cake" is, it's a Jiffy blueberry muffin mix baked in the bottom of a throw-away-tin pie pan. It's actually brilliant because it was as if I had received one big muffin top...and everyone knows that's the best part of every muffin.
• Okay a funny one...I have a couple of boys that are beginning to notice girls. One of them brought in a brand new white, trendy hat. He informed me very nervously and all in one breath that "He got the hat because girls like hats and he likes a girl and he's hoping that if he wears the hat then the girl will like him." (Oh dear, he has so much to learn.)
• Direct quote, "I thought the sub was...well...I guess just okay, but it's really hard to compare to Mrs. MacDonald because I like her a lot." (*tear* I like them too.)
• My favorite description of a 6th grader...Sixth graders are like first graders in a big kid body.

I look forward to sharing more thoughts/happenings/sayings of my 6th grade teaching adventures.

6th Grade Teacher Shoes

So here I am. A 6th grade teacher. I am teaching a grade that I thought I would never be teaching. I've always swayed more to the likings of the 2nd-3rd grade level, however; it often seems in life, I don't always get what I think is going to be best for myself. I'm slowly finding myself "at home" in my classroom. My environment is becoming and very slowly shaping into what I want it to be. I have a long way to go and much to learn and in the meantime I'm just as much a sponge as my students are, sucking up every bit of information that I can.

My "dream classroom" is nowhere near to what I am doing right now because I feel I am barely staying afloat with the demands of the basic curriculum. I have so many (what I think) oustanding ideas that I would love to implement in my class, but I feel like I just don't have the time. However, I do have two things that are a part of our daily routine, morning meeting and current events, that I absolutely love. Our morning meeting is very simple (thanks to my Kirk 2nd grade team) yet it has brought a tremendous amount of community into the classroom. Not to mention I love seeing the kids get excited about our little gathering. We all gather in a circle, a fairly small one at that, and passed around the circle is a purple, squishy ball-like-thing that lights up when dropped, hit, bounced, etc. It's rather fun to play with. So, the student with the ball is the only student that can talk. The first time around the circle the student has to compliment another student. This, a suprise to me, is a very difficult task for a 6th grader. The student that receives a compliment must respond with a simple, "thank you". I love seeing the look on a student's face when they receive a compliment. It's almost as if they are in disbelief of how outstanding or liked they really are. Then the second time around the cirlce (ball passed the opposite direction), whoever started the meeting asks a question and everyone else must answer using only one sentence. I have some chatty ones that could go on and on forever. This has been a great insight to who my students really are, what they like, how passionate they are, what they don't like, challenges they face, etc. This 10 minute gathering is really quite powerful and I am in "awe" by it.

Second, current events. This is one of the few memories I have from 6th grade. Each student is assigned to a day of the week (about 4-5 per day). On their current event day they are to present a current event of interest to them, where the resource is no more than two days old. As they present from the front of the class, not only do they share the basics (who, what, where, when and why), but they also have to talk about how the article affects them and/or why they chose that particular subject to present. It's been quite fascinating the topics chosen and has definitely kept all of us up to date on what's going on in the world.

As time moves on I can only imagine that I will feel more comfortable and begin to fit into the teacher shoes I am supposed to be wearing. Until then, I trip on my shoe laces, get knots in them or my tongue is just stuck sideways and feels a bit uncomfortable. One thing I know for sure, I have found what I am supposed to be doing, teaching where I am supposed to be teaching and working with a group of students that will forever leave an imprint in my life.

Trip to California...Kind of

Our trip to California was cut short (mentioned in previous post), but we definitely enjoyed our travels along the way!

Excited to be on our way! Honestly, I don't even think we had hit the freeway yet.

Our fist campsite was just outside of Crescent City, CA. It was a nice, relaxing spot.

Early the next morning we packed up and headed into Crescent City where we found a couple of docks filled with sea lions and seals. They were hilarious to watch. Nearby were a couple of fishermen cleaning their morning catch so the animals were really active.

We headed out of town and began our trek down highway 1 through the Redwoods. The coast was foggy, but still beautiful!

So, 21 years ago my family took a vacation down highway 1; however, the details of the vacation are "foggy". As Chad and I were driving down highway 1, certain things I would see would cause a flood of memories to return. As we drove around one of the many corners, we came upon Paul Bunyan and Babe. I shouted with excitement at Chad to pull over and although it costs $14 per person to venture on the trail and we opted out, the memory and opportunity of another picture in front of Paul Bunyan and Babe was worth every second.

No, I would not necessarily consider myself a tree hugger, but the size of these trees is hard to believe. We took a slight detour from Highway 1 and veered onto The Avenue of the Giants. Oh! My! Goodness! When they say "Avenue of the Giants" they are not kidding. These trees are so massive they almost seemed surreal. Also, I'm almost certain that at one point or another I heard the e-woks rustling and whispering in the forest behind us. =)

We were both in "awe" at how the trees grow in a spiral formation. I love this picture I took looking up the tree; however in doing so, I lost my footing and almost fell backwards. I'm still in shock just thinking about how impressive these trees are.

If a Redwood falls in the forest how does one get around it? We questioned this as this was part of a self guided tour through a section of the Redwoods. We both couldn't imagine what it would've been like hundreds of years ago discovering new territory and coming upon a fallen Redwood. There is absolutely no way over the top and to walk all the way around would be much time lost in travels. Again, the size is unbelievable!

Yes, another childhood memory. Although 21 years ago when we drove my parents conversion van through a tree, the van got stuck. Even with the mirrors pushed all the way in. I remember Rolan and I having to crawl out of the back doors of the van, run around, and help rock the van back and forth to get it unstuck. Quite a hilarious moment...luckily, our car fit with no problems!

Finally, our one and only glimpse of the Napa Valley wineries. On our way home we got stuck in construction and were able to capture one picuture of a winery. The winery was absolutely gorgeous, evenly raked and not a leaf on the ground in sight. I believe this was the Kenwood Winery. We hope to make a trip down there again...hopefully with Danny and Becky.

God is Good

The last couple of weeks have been quite a whirlwind and God has been good for sure. I was just reading my last post (quite depressing), but things have turned around since then.

Two weekends ago Chad I traveled to Priest River for a wedding (congratulations Annie and Don) and we had an absolute blast. It was great to see many friends that we had not seen or hung out with in a long time. We were home for 3 days and began driving south towards San Francisco. Our final destination was Santa Rosa (about an hour north of San Francisco) for another wedding of some great friends (congrats Danny and Becky). We drove through Oregon and at the California/Oregon border we headed west towards Crescent City and the Redwood Nathional Forest (more pics coming). On our second day of travels I received a phone call from the principal at Sandburg Elementary and he wanted to interview me for a 6th grade position. I was beyond excited, yet nervous because teaching 6th grade wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind. Beings that we were driving through the mountains the reception was poor and the principal said he would call me back in about an hour, as he was already fully aware that Chad and I were on vacation in California. As soon as we had cell reception we pulled over and waited for the phone call...The interview was a little different, but an hour after that I received another call from the Director of HR. I assumed he was calling about something in regards to subbing; however, he said that he would like to offer me the 6th grade position at Sandburg Elementary. Following his statement was an awkward moment of silence and then I shouted, "I'm totally in!". He laughed and said a bit more seriously, "Yes, Robin, you are totally in."

Beings that Chad and I were about an hour from the rehearsal dinner site, we decided to continue towards Danny and Becky. It was bittersweet sharing the news, because we had a hamburger and then turned around to head home. We were both full of emotions when we left the rehearsal dinner...sad to be leaving, yet excited that I got a job. Not only were we going to be missing Danny and Becky's wedding, but the following weekend we had plans to travel to sourthern Idaho for another wedding (congrats Anna and Brent). We pushed through that night until about midnight where we then stopped in Redding. The next day we drove 10 hours the rest of the way home and the following morning we were up bright and early to go put my classroom together (again, more pics soon).

God is good. Many family and friends had been praying for something good to come our way and mainly for me to get a job. Through much prayer and support, it happened. Again, God is good. Thank you everyone for your prayers.

Now I'm off to correct papers with my morning tea in hand. =)

Desire

I've been in a bit of a slump lately (poor Chad) because I want more than anything to be in a classroom teaching. It's frustrating to go through and spend so much money on a great education and then not be able to use the knowledge learned. I have finally found something that I want to do and I can feel it right at my fingertips, but I am just unable to grab a hold of it....grrr, this makes me mad! There are many other attributes to my "slump", but this seems to be the main thing right now.

In the meantime, I've tried to channel my "slump" to other areas of my life...or rather, get rid of the negativity that I feel towards everything lately. Therefore, I began training...for a triathlon. In May I participated in my first sprint triathlon and became totally hooked. Throughout the summer I have diligently trained for my second sprint triathlon that I competed in this past weekend. This sprint triathlon consisted of a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run. I surprised myself and beat my last time by about 12 minutes. It's hard to compare the two triathlons because the swim was shorter and the bike a couple miles longer; however, my "enginerd" husband was able to compute that my time was about 12 minutes less.

I'm competing in my third triathlon in 5 weeks here in Kirkland. The distance for this sprint-tri is 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. I enjoy biking and running, but I am an AWFUL swimmer. This is the area that really slows me down. I feel if I could improve on my swimming I could be more competitive for my age group. Hmmm...maybe swim lessons will be in my near future. Until then, my goal for this next triathlon is to complete the 1/4 mile swim in 8 minutes, bike 12 miles in 45 minutes and run 3.1 miles in 27 minutes. I also need to shorten my transition time from the swim to bike by a couple minutes and maintain the transition time from bike to run at a minute or less. Totally do-able...I have 4 1/2 weeks left....I better get to swimming, biking and running!

Real Thoughts

My real (yet sparatic) thoughts for the day...

It would be so nice to have a teaching job in the fall.
Thank goodness I can sub if I don't get a full time job.
When are we going to be able to have our own family?
This scares me.
I'm thankful for my friends.
Yesterday was a nice day with friends.
We are broke.
Thank God we have each other.
Thank God we really don't go without.
I'm worried about my brother.
I'm worried about my dear friend's baby...I know it's going to be healthy, but I still worry because I love her and don't want her to go through what I've gone through...Only a couple more weeks until the "safe zone".
I'm thankful for my pastor and his wife. They are nice people.
I wish it was sunny today....maybe that would not make me feel so gloomy.
CRAP! I only have 6 days until my next triathlon! Must train today! This is exciting!
I love my nieces and nephews....they help with the void in my life of not having my own.
My stress is hard to control...my hands, arms, neck and shoulder hurt....oh, lupus, you are not my friend.
I'm sleepy.
I think I will take a rest....maybe watch a movie and snack on popcorn.
I just want September to get here so I can know if I will be teaching or not.
Looking forward to Labor Day...excited to see my friend get married.

Hope everyone I know and love is having a good day.

4th of July in Idaho

Over the 4th of July we were in Idaho. We took with us our neighbors, Danny and Becky, and we had an absolute fabulous time. The 4th of July is special to Chad and I because that was the beginning of forever with us. Twelve years ago we watched our first Coeurd'Alene firework show together and since then, it's been a tradition to be in Idaho over the 4th of July (generally at Chad's parents' cabin on the Spokane River in Post Falls). There is so much fun to be had...boating, tubeing, wakeboarding, swimming, eating, drinking, playing cards, and just enjoying great family time. Evening boat ride....Thanks Sonja for the photo.

Chad loves his mom.

Bob on the boat.

"Shoot'n" guns.

Chad and Danny on the tubes.

Danny strapping on the wakeboard.

Chad, mid-air, on the wakeboard.

Family Reunion

A couple of weekends ago we went to Prosser, WA for a family reunion on my Mom's side of the family. We had a great time meeting new family and seeing others that we hadn't seen in a while. There were about 35 people that showed up for the reunion, the farthest coming from Oklahoma. We had a great time playing ladder ball, horse shoes, eating and drinking (a lot) and just enjoying each other's company. I'm determined to attend the reunions more often, rather than waiting 15 years.

The pies came and we were ready to dive in.

I love my Granny so much.

It's not too often that all three of us are together. I miss my brothers a lot.

Every little kid loves Uncle Chad, but especially his niece Jade.

New cousin, Gary, from Oklahoma. He was such a blast!

My brother's family...Rolan, Kira, Jade and Raiden.

My grandparents mean the world to me. I wish we saw them more often.

Hurts So Good

I'm addicted...to the pain apparently. Since my first triathlon the end of June, I've recently signed up for two more triathlons (and there are a couple more I have my eyes on). After the triathlon I took a little break and allowed for my body to recover; not only from tired muscles, but also from a sinus infection that I had battled through. It amazes me how quickly my body can get out of shape and then how hard it is to get motivated again to get back in shape. It's rather discouraging, so I try to remember that feeling of "great health" because it is definitely an amazing feeling.

So, this week has been the start of an 8-week training program for my next triathlon, the Seattle Danskin. After not working out consistantly for the past few weeks and jumping right in again my body is sore, tired and just plain weak. Again, rather frustrating. However, the pain of having to hoist myself onto the toilet with my hands or practically rolling out of bed onto the floor because I cannot move is AWESOME. My muscles are working again, my cardio is getting a boost and I'm looking forward to the mental and physical challenges ahead of me.

(The pic is from my cardio training to the top of Tiger Mountain with my tri-partner, Danielle. It was an intense and fast paced hike that I'm quite proud of.)

Fishing Trip in Alaska

A couple weeks ago Chad took a fishing trip to Alaska with his dad and family friends. And although their trip was filled with great memories, many of the memories are not of catching fish. The idea was to go to Alaska and to bring back salmon and halibut; however, that didn't happen. Their trip was filled with drinking, great food, early morning boat rides, tangled fish lines, eagle watching, moose sightings, and evening river cruises. Fishing? Yes, it existed, but without the fish.

The picture is of Chad's catch...of the trip, which was thrown back.

Do You Know Where God Is?

I recently took a trip to Oregon for a girls weekend with the MacDonald family, also known as Kamp Kurt--Teagan's husband, Kurt, was the only male around for the weekend. On my way down to Eugene, I stopped at the Nike outlet store to see if there were any good deals. As I am about to walk into a dressing room I notice two blonde headed, cute as buttons, littlle girls that were about 5 years old standing oustide of another dressing room door. As I'm about to exit my dressing room, I over hear one of the girls say, "Do you even know where God lives?" As I open the door, I notice the other little girl standing very proudly with hands on her hips and she says, "Duh, of course I do." She continues, "He lives up there (pointing towards the sky) and He is looking down on us right now." With hands still on her hips and getting much in the face of her little friend, she then says, "Did you know God loves everyone?" The other little girl retorts sarcastically, "Of course I did!"

If only it was this simple. If only everyone could believe in God. I absolutely adore the innocence and purity of children. This little scenario definitely made my day.

I'm A Tri-Athlete?

So this weekend I partook in my first sprint triathlon. I had been training for the event for about 9 months with a friend from Peter Kirk Elementary. A few days before the triathlon I came down with, what I thought was, allergies. Eventually "it" got worse and Friday, the day before the triathlon, I went to see my doctor and she told me I had a sinus infection. The doctor gave me the "okay" to compete in the triathlon the following day.

By definition I am a tri-athlete. I partook in a race that had three parts--swimming, biking, running--and successfully completed the event. However, I don't really feel like a tri-athlete. When I think of a tri-athlete, I think of someone who is in prime shape, almost to the point of being an olympian, if not already one. This is not me. Although, at the race I realized that tri-athletes come in all shapes and sizes. The race was very difficult, but the training, the challenge, and the competitive and fun-filled atmosphere of the race was awesome!

Do I want to do another one? Yes. I'm hooked. My time was 1:56:26--much longer than I expected; although, I'm hoping my lengthy time was due in part because of the unfamiliarity of a triathlon and because I was sick and had troubles breathing. My goal for the next event is to cut 25 minutes off my time.

Chad took many great pics, of which I have only included one. More photos can be viewed at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84349&id=583296818&l=55e860bc49

Memorial Camping at Rasar

The past four years we have made a trek north to Rasar State Park for our Memorial Day camping trip. We always reserve the back 3 walk-in tent sites and fill them to capacity. This year we had about 20 people attend the annual Memorial Day Rasar camping trip. Hi-lites from the trip include setting up camp, sitting around the campfire, ladder ball (testicle ball), bocce ball, volleyball, cooking over the campfire, monkey balls in the dutch oven, Kyle's homemade kahlua, walk abouts, knitting/girl time, meal sharing, "gars" (cigars), SUNSHINE, lost testicle ball in the tree, boys bathing in the river, great friends, and lots of laughs. The pic below is of the lower field we walk through to get to the river--it reminded me of the Sound of Music. The other pic is of Chad and I down by the river--Chad had just bathed in the river and was trying to get warm.

Highlights of the Day

Woke up.
Ate breakfast...vanilla bean yogurt with almonds, and a green tea.
Applied to 3 different districts for next year.
Visited Peter Kirk.
Hugged by my students...i miss and love them.
Went to Heather's...she's a cool chica I like.
Saw my Molls....I like her too.
Planned the menu for our camping trip.
Couldn't get enough of Holland, Kingston, Aidan, and Delia.
Snuggles with Delia.
Drawings with Kingston.
Spelling with Holland.
Hugs and kisses from Aidan.
Went to Peter Kirk again (received a very nice recommendation leter from a "teammate").
Tried on ALL my clothes in my closet (except the wedding dress).
Bagged many things for Value Village and Hope Link.
Intense tri-training with Danielle...she's a tough chica.
Drank/choked on chlorine water...(I don't recommend it).
Extremely hot shower.
Green curry dinner.
Hugs and kisses from Chad.
Day is done.

This weekend myself and my co-leader took 4 out of 6 girls from our Girl Scout troop camping at Sunset Lake. There were about 150 other girl scouts there with their leaders. The theme was Under the Big Top so many of the activities were related to the circus. The highlights are below...

Gorgeous Saturday morning drive straight towards Mt. Rainier.

Group shot!

Clowns teaching us to make pigs in a blanket in a box oven, popcorn over the campfire, and lemonade.

Cheers to nice weather and excellent lemonade!

Dishwashing...the least favorite activity.

After lunch treat...cotton candy!

Making cat toys for donation to the Humane Society.

Making dog toys too.

Partaking in a scavenger hunt around Sunset Lake.

Endless games of Twister.

Teaching and leading the "Jaws Grace".

Last day at camp...the girls reflecting and enjoying their last hour. (I teared up when I saw them sitting like this on the edge of the water...they are so incredibly cute.)

Candace and I exhausted and ready for check out.

Leaving Sunset Lake.