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.