School

Right now the kids and I are on Thanksgiving break. It's funny including myself in that sentence now that I am teaching. The students I work with are great. They come from a variety of different backgrounds. Many have little to no support at home. They have been in trouble with the law or just have not had a good start in their young lives. I enjoy spending time with them, working one on one, and talking to them about their futures. I have made some amazing bonds with several of my students.

One student I work with struggled to open up and had a lack of desire to work. He is a senior and yet he was ready to give up. I have worked closely with him and found a way to break through that gruff exterior of his. He now attends class regularly, turns in his work and often will spend an extra few minutes just chatting about how things are going. Most of these kids just need a chance. They need to know someone does care about them and they can make it in this world.

I come home at night and realize how blessed I am to have two wonderful kids. I look at them and realize how lucky they are to have two parents who care. I often wish the kids I work with could experience that same luxury. I know that is not possible which is why I let each of them know how important they are each day I see them. When they go home at night, I want them to know that there are people who believe in them. We have many seniors who are so close to making the graduation deadline. June is going to be an amazing day for so many of these kids who were almost left behind. I know I will shed many tears on graduation day!

Life in San Diego

We have been in San Diego for almost 6 full months. There are days when it still does not seem real. We lived in Corona for over 14 years. We lived an amazing life there full of wonderful memories and amazing friends. To start over was a challenge at first but I think we are finally settling in. While we do not have the same friendship we once had, we are beginning to build new ones. Scott and I wanted this for so long that sometimes we have to pinch ourselves and say we finally made it.

We enjoy taking long drives along the coast just to soak in the beauty of this amazing area. The kids always tease me because I never get over the beauty of where we are. The sky is so blue and the ocean can be seen for miles. There are days when it does take my breath away.

San Diego

The last time I attempted to update my blog I was sitting in my office in Corona. Now as I type this I am looking out the window at the beautiful San Diego sky! From the street in front of our subdivision you can see the ocean! I am so excited about living here. San Diego has always been near and dear to me. I loved living here years ago but knew I needed to go back for something. That something led me to Scott! Now here I sit 15 years later, back in San Diego, with Scott and the kids, and loving every second of it.

We are still adjusting. Unfortunately there are not many girls Mady's age that live in our neighborhood. Soccer has begun though and the majority of girls on her team go to her new school. In the meantime, we have made time to get her to see her old friends and even had one come stay with us for two days.

Brandon is working and just registered for his first classes in college. He will be taking English, Trigonometry, Nutrition, and History. It's a full load but he is looking forward to jumping in head first. The college is not far from our house. One campus is only 15 minutes away and the other is only 10.

Scott is busy as ever at work and so excited that we are finally down here with him. It was a long six months living apart. He hated leaving us each week and really did not like any part of living away. The evenings were especially hard because that is the time we always have dinner together and share stories from our day. Now we don't have to worry about that anymore.

I am looking forward to being in the classroom again soon. I went to a substitute meeting yesterday. I'm hoping to be fully credentialed by the first of the year. I won't be able to take a full-time job until then. In the meantime, I do enjoy being a sub teacher. It allows me to work with a variety of students from varying ages. 

Until next time...

Changes....

It's been almost one year since I've last updated this blog. Needless to say so much has changed. As you all know, we are moving. I think we have finally settled on a location in San Diego. It looks like we have decided on the Poway/Scripps Ranch area. It has the best schools and is overall a really nice area. We are very excited and now just need time to pass before we settle on a house.

Brandon only has 3 months left of school! I can hardly imagine him going to college. I'm so happy and excited for him and yet so sad because I want him to stay little; which I know is not possible. And just when I begin to wrap my head around him graduating, my mind realizes Mady is graduating elementary school in 3 months too! Let's just say I'm going to need a lot of tissues to get through graduation week!

Scott is doing really well in San Diego. He loves his new job and his employees are great. They have really welcomed him as their new boss. Needless to say, we miss him terribly. I dread Monday mornings and can't wait for Friday nights. I know it's temporary but it's such a big adjustment. We try and pack all sorts of fun family activities in on the weekends to make up for lost time.

For now I will sign off and hope not to wait another year before posting again.

Love This Picture

I just had to post this picture. These are the Chase grandchildren. Age does not matter with this crazy group of kids. Whenever they are together, they are wild and crazy and have so much fun. This picture was taken at Alyssa and Will's birthday party. They had so much fun that day!

Biking at the Beach

Last weekend was beautiful. We decided to load up the bikes and head to the beach. The weather was amazing. It was a little cool but perfect for a day in Balboa. We ate lunch at Ruby's on the pier, rode bikes all through Newport and Balboa, took a ferry over to the island, then made our way to McD's for an ice cream on our way home.

Waiting for lunch at Ruby's

This crazy character kept stealing the fish from the fisherman's lines. It was the funniest thing to watch. Then he just stopped and posed so I could take his picture.

Taking a break and enjoying the amazing weather.

I Tried!

I had every intention of keeping my blog up-to-date. However, life continues to let me know that sometimes I'm not in charge. School is my biggest reason for not keeping this updated. I am happy to report that I am down to two weeks. Two weeks until I am free from essays, reports, and endless math problems. Needless to say I am just a tad bit excited. Student teaching will not start until September so I will have an entire summer to do.....well...I'm not sure yet but I know there will be many things I can do. It has been a challenge at times but I am so thankful the end is this close. I am so anxious and excited I can hardly stand it. I have a really, REALLY bad case of Senioritis. Scott and the kids have been amazing though. They are the ones I lean on when I am tired and need extra support. It is still hard to believe that my time as a student is almost finished. I know I have more to learn with student teaching but that is so different from what I am doing now. The interaction with the students is what I most look forward to.