Amazed

We've been spending a lot of time in my classroom studying butterflies.  Our caterpillars arrived about 10 days ago.  We observe them each day, because they grow so quickly.  I walked in this morning to see them hanging from the top of their cup, most of them already forming into the chrysalis stage.  I'm just so amazed of the whole caterpillar to butterfly process.  

Here's the kit I received for Christmas:

beginning to hang from the lid of the cup they arrived in

SIL Visit

My sister-in-law, Lauren, came to visit my classroom yesterday and then spent the day with me today.  I took her back this afternoon, where we met my MIL for lunch.  Here are some of the stops we made today:

Santana Row shops

Great way to spend a Saturday.  Thanks Lauren for coming to visit!  I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. 

P.S. I also got to meet a principal from another school tonight and we had a good chat.  Think good thoughts!  I need a job for next year :)

Babies!

Congratulations to Steffani and Josh on the birth of their daughter, Bridger, this afternoon.  Also born this afternoon were my coworker's babies, Mateo and Lucas.  Funny thing:  they were both due May 24 and both had their babies almost a month early, on the same day.  Ahhh this gives me baby fever!  (No plans though for awhile, so don't get your hopes up.  Although I love, love, love babies, we're still enjoying married life with just the 2 of us)

Happy Hollow

Today I took over the role of first grade teacher (the first grade teacher has an injury, so she took my kinders and I took her class).  All the first grade classes went on a field trip to Happy Hollow.  What an amazing place!  It's run by the city, it's right in the middle of town, and yet you feel so far away from everything while there.  Here are some pictures from the day:

fossa

lemur

parrots

meerkat

Our Story

Happy Saturday!  This weekend is uneventful, with the majority of it being taken up by a work portfolio I've been working on since August.  In order to clear my teaching credential, I need to attend monthly classes for 2 years and submit 2 portfolios showing my teaching strategies, planning, work analysis, reflections, etc, etc.  It's due May 10 so I'm in the final stretch - finally!
I read on another blog about how this woman and her husband met, so I figured I'd share how B and I met as well...
My junior year of college I was on MySpace (who wasn't at that time?!) and I saw on my cousin's profile really nice comments that this guy was leaving her.  I knew they weren't dating and they weren't relationship-type questions either; just "Hope you're having a great day." sorta thing.  So I started asking her about who he was and she said she had known him since preschool.  How come I hadn't heard about him?!?!  We all lived in the same town and are the same age.
So I ask some questions about him (career, family, in a relationship - the basic history).  He received my check-list clearance, so I decided to MySpace message him.  We began talking daily for 3 months until I went back home to interview for a summer job in May 2006.  We instantly hit it off in person and began "officially" dating May 25, 2006.
I went back up to Oregon where we maintained a long distance relationship for a short time.  It was time to apply for grad school and I only applied to UC Davis - where he was living at the time.  At this point I knew he was the one, so I put all my eggs in one basket school-wise to live closer to him.  He wound up leaving a few months later for an academy, so for 6 months we only saw each other on weekends.
Fast forward to 2007 where he proposed at Thanksgiving.  He'd had the ring for awhile and his family had come from out of state.  They started asking when he was going to propose and he said, "I dunno."  So they told him to do it that day (completely unplanned to him).  He called up my parents, they said yes, and within 2 hours we were engaged.  My first response I guess was, "Oh no!" (I don't even remember!)  I was shaking, crying, so, so happy.

I wanted to finish grad school, so we were married a year and half later (June 27, 2009) - the happiest day of my life!    

Here's a look back on the past 4 years:

Metolious River, Oregon

Carrie Underwood concert

Lake Berryessa hike

Carmel/Pebble Beach, California

Apple Hill

San Francisco

Crater Lake, Oregon

Lake Tahoe, California

Open House

Phew...I survived!  This week has been a whirlwind of projects with the finale being Open House.  I just walked in the door, after being gone 13 hours, and I'm wiped.  It was all worth it though.  The kids were so excited to take their parents on a tour of our room (we went over this morning how to be a good "tour guide")  Here are some pictures of all the projects we've been working on.

marble-painted butterflies, egg-carton caterpillars, and adjective flowers

"About Me" people & writing

"I like" kites

view from our living room

Not school related, but hasn't the weather been weird?!  It was high 70s, then doesn't even reach 50 yesterday, now is warm again today.  The sky yesterday afternoon was eerie.  We had a torrential downpour and within 5 minutes the whole sky was blue again.  I guess April showers downpours bring May flowers??

River Trail

Yesterday Steffani asked if I'd be interested in taking her dogs on a walk - of course!  When we'd go walk we'd always just walk the streets around my neighborhood, until I just discovered a city trail a block from our place.  We decided to go check it out and had a great 2 hour walk along the river.

The bridge we crossed to get onto the trail

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today is being spent working on my BTSA portfolio, laundry, and lesson planning.  Lots to get done this week for Open House on Thursday (eeek!)