out of control and trying to get ready

so on monday, i was able to get a look at my classroom for the first time. it's pretty. check out all the natural lighting from the wall of windows. and my teacher's desk in the corner, with my own desktop to use. and i even get my own comfy teacher rolly chair. so cool. i almost feel like a legitimate educator.

this is a picture of playground/yard - the view i have from my classroom. we have grass. that's like...unheard of. you can see the distinctive k-town businesses and if you look closely enough, some mountains/hills of some kind. then it's the library. our library looks amazing! the circulation desk, and check out all those books! on monday, the shelves were empty, but i went back this afternoon and books had magically appeared. they are beautiful. i heart libraries and books.

and this is the neatest part of the library - a high ceiling area with carpeted tiered steps for kids to have story hour or just read or whatever. so awesome.
and just check out the awesome lighting from the ginormous windows.

i've been there everyday this week, for a few hours here...a few hours there. honestly, i don't have anything to even set up yet, because we haven't really had our orientation about the dos and don'ts of what we can decorate and how. instead, i've just been exploring the school and visiting my classroom, just swiveling in my teacher chair, trying to figure out how i'd like to arrange the classroom. i've also met our literacy coach and math coach. i think they will be my new friends. i have this feeling i'll be visiting their office a lot to get assistance with implementing curriculum. lucky for them their office is on my floor.

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in a somewhat related small world connection, i ran into a teacher that had been part of the interview panel at the school that i had thought i originally wanted to work at - the one that had asked what i thought were some weird questions. he was sitting at my table for math training today. as i met some other teachers from his school, they seemed to know of me. it was weird...then it was explained that i had been their first choice of new hires. huh. had i known that leaving the interview, i think my decision might've been different. it's funny how things worked out. i'm really excited to be starting out at the school i ended up choosing. the staff that i've already met seem great. i'm one of two 4th grade teachers. the other teacher is from the same program i'm in and she's in her 4th year of teaching, so she brings some experience and she's been so accessible. yay...i heart teachers.

just a little over two weeks and counting until i start going into school for full prep days. and just a little under 3 weeks until my first day with the students.

vegas

i went to vegas over the weekend. it was actually a really short trip and i didn't end up taking very many pictures, which i'm now a little bummed about.
it was lounging poolside, sampling buffets, watching cirque du soleil's "O" and just hanging out. the drive was super long on the way there...6 hours due to traffic. on the way back, it was a much more acceptable 4.5. i think i've learned that i'm only good on drives 3 hours and less (my seattle to portland run). anything past that...too much time of the road.

more photos here.

food fest

food fest began the morning that kristie arrived. we brunched near fairfax, at doughboy's. it was delicious. i realized that i have not done my fair share of exploration of the various pockets in this city. i think it's mostly due to not wanting to be out driving with all the other cars that are out...that, and parking. that evening, we went out for all-you-can-eat korean bbq. i'm still recovering.


the next day, we played volleyball at the beach and had a hawaiian style dinner at the loft.
afterwards, we went to the hermosa beach pier and rather than walk-off our food binge, we sat around at coffee bean and tea leaf and made friends with the coolest barista ever. the next day, it was dumplings for lunch and a lighter dinner since none of us could handle anymore heavy foods. we did stop by diddy riese's in westwood for ice cream and cookies.

i think food fest undid all of the exercise i'd done the weeks before. sad. but oh so delicious was all the food.

eye disease magnet

i woke up this morning and i started thinking that maybe it was going to be a rough day, especially when it took me an hour to get to downtown, which is only 10 miles away. surely enough, later in the day, my left eye started feeling funny. then much later, i looked at it and it was a little swollen. my awesome roommates diagnosed my eye. i have preseptal cellulitis. it's like infected due to some sinus-related issue. now my eye looks like i got stung by a mosquito. sigh. God has a sense of humor...
:)

southern california fun

over the weekend, i saw pirates of the caribbean 2, went to a bridal shower for JT (which was a lot of fun - she's got some organized bridesmaids), and went boogie boarding for the first time. it was also a super exhausting weekend. it takes a lot of energy to have fun.

i liked pirates 2. what's not to like? johnny depp, orlando bloom, crazy unbelievable pirate antics - all good things. it's going to be tough waiting for movie #3. the bridal shower was hilarious. :) and boogie boarding ended up being great. at first, it was just ok since i was not good with the timing of catching waves. but the last wave that took me almost to the shore made it all worthwhile. except for the stupid rug-burn type rash i got from the board, it was super fun. i realized that it's been a really, really long time since i've been in the ocean. oregon beaches do not always lends themselves to water activities - it's usually pretty darn cold, even in the summer. and seattle doesn't really have beaches, just lots of lakes and ocean water, but no sandy beaches. unfortunately, i failed to sunscreen properly again - i didn't reapply the sunblock. sadly, i didn't learn from last time. and i sort of burned again, but not as badly. one of these days, i'll catch on...really, i will.

and i'm an official employee of the district now, with an employee number and everything! today, i finalized all my paperwork with the district and even stopped by my new school to pick up some teacher's editions of textbooks since i have training conferences next week. the plant manager of the school even gave me a mini-tour of some parts of the school. it's BEAUTIFUL! the colors are so kid-friendly - light grays, soft lime greens with light purples/lavender. the classrooms look great and i can't wait to get started with decorating and planning out my room's space. afterwards, i drove to blocks to grace's school to hang out in her classroom. it was so nice to just talk and hang out - even if i completely distracted her from lesson-planning. :) it's great because she totally knows who i am and so we can always just dive right into conversation. yay friends!


and more "yays" to more friends - congrats to gar and shiv. i'm so completely happy and excited for you two!!! (shiv - i'm posting this because garrett already posted about it and plus, it is just HAPPY HAPPY news.) :D

too much time and craziness ensues...

as requested, i have posted up these "secret" photos. over the weekend, we helped pam move into her new townhouse. sometime during that event, josh* and joe* decided to try a series of poses to "christen" her new townhome. in this first one, all i heard was pam yelling. as i ran upstairs, this is what i found. josh had rolled up his shorts and used her "SOLD" sign (which had "AVAILABLE" on the other side) to "surprise" pam as she entered her new master bathroom. wife wendy is holding the leash.




joe joins josh. here they are on pam's bed. it just doesn't look quite right. and there they are again in the guest bathroom. i guess girls aren't the only ones who go to the restroom in groups.


this last one is in the powder room on the mainfloor. josh is doing his best impression of vanna as he shows off her very cool and very modern counter top sink.

*names have NOT been changed. real names are used. we do not protect the identities of the scandalous here.

*NOTE* in case there is any doubt, josh really does have clothes on in all photos.

picture share

my brother graduated from UO a few weeks back - here he is with my proud parents who really are happy, even if they aren't smiling. and then with andy (still at UO) and me - the non-duck of the three.


we helped pam move into her new townhouse. it was a super packed weekend of things to do. the next morning was che's wedding. here we are (me, pam, and wendy) getting stuff ready for receiving gifts and guests.


like i mentioned before, we had double wedding duty last saturday. in the morning, it was che's wedding in seattle with a reception at salty's on alki with awesome seattle weather. it's the girls - pam (the wedding coordinator), wendy (bridesmaid), che (beautiful bride), me, and alanna (gift and reception girls). we're actually missing chris, the third gift/reception girl. then it was off on a 3-hour drive down to portland to make it to mark and won's reception. it was an outdoor reception in beautiful portland summer evening weather. pam, me, and wendy are enjoying the reception. and then it's cousins chris and wendy and me. it was a fun weekend getting to hang out with everyone - even if i was sick and a little out of it. y'all need to fly down and visit me here. :D

more photos can be seen here.

phlegm and pink-eye

as i've mentioned, i've been a little sick. this morning, i woke up to nasty phlegm in my throat - i spit it out and it was olive green. sorry to those that really didn't want to know. :) and, my nose has been running snotty all day. plus, i discovered that my left eye had crusty goopy badness and pam (OD) told me it was pink-eye. and, my sunburned back finally decided to start peeling. i was hotness personified - attractive, i tell you. not really. and, i had to attend two weddings.

the weddings were lovely, as all weddings should be. i was gift girl for che and jason and just a guest for mark and won. it's always great to spend time with friends who i haven't seen in a long while. it definitely makes me miss living up here - not getting to see them whenever i want. sad.

and now, i've officially lost my voice. everytime i say something, somebody laughs at me...currently, it is mostly noah. punk. i sound like a 6 year old right now. i haven't had enough rest in the last few days to actually start recovering, but hopefully, i'll be able to get some rest tonight and tomorrow morning as pam, noah, and chris drive me up to seattle to catch my flight back to LA.

it'll be hard to leave tomorrow :(