Pretty Bad

I haven't updated in ages, and its pretty bad when I can scroll down on the same page and find that there was a post from April! I went and saw Julie and Julia last night and was a little bit inspired to start blogging again. I just feel with the new school year beginning there is always something more important to do than sit down and blog. BUT! It pays off later when in a few years I can get online and remember all the different things that were going on in my life.

So for the updates:

I was laid off in June this year and got called a week before school started to get my job back! I was so blessed. I started teaching August 10th and I have 7 kinders and 18 1st graders in my K/1 combo class. Kindergarten sure scared the crap outta me at the beginning of the year, but it seems to get better day after day. They are all so adorable, so it makes up for their lack of skills! They will come up with the funniest things to say at the funniest time to say it.

During the time I teach reading I have 35 in my class! I have decided this year that I really LOVE teaching phonics and reading. It is a lot of fun, and it is soo rewarding to watch little ones who can't read develop into strong readers and writers. Getting to dissect the different sounds of our language and try to teach them to 35 different little minds is a great but fun challenge! I only had 20 last year but it was such a difficult class. Even though I have a bunch more students--this year is going great!

I also get to work closely with a strong christian who loves to talk about God all day long. Its a great encourgament for me. I thank God that not only I was able to come back to King (like I prayed so boldly) but I get to work with another believer!

Alright, maybe I'll get back on the bandwagon and post more each week. I'll try to find some pictures someday too.

Thanks for reading!

I've Got A Lot To Say!

I know it has been forever since I've been on here to update the 2 people that read this blog about my uneventful happenings in my life. I last wrote all about my adventure in Barcelona. I had never been to Espana before and I am really happy I got to experience a bit of it! Barcelona was crazy but wonderful! There was so much to see and so much to do there was no waaay that we could do everything! We got to see a light show the last night underneath a beautiful sunset! For me, that was the highlight of my time in Spain!


We left Barcelona and got on a huge ship, where we set up house for the following 12 days. I think the best thing of the entire trip was that my sisters and I enjoyed each other's company for over two weeks! That alone was such a miracle and blessing! It was kind of a joke that one of us was going to take a side trip from our balcony to the ocean floor.


Our room was quite small, but we had a cute little balcony where we were able to open the sliding glass door in the evening to hear the ocean as we tried to go to sleep! Our room attendant was named Emerson and he was soo cool! A 30 something year old from Honduras who really missed his ten year old son. All the staff on the ship always had to greet us with a huge fake smile and ask how our day was going, so my sisters and I made it our mission to try to bless Emerson. Here is a picture of me and Emerson in Venice!


Our dining room man was named Joselito and he was from the great nation of the Philippines. He was really cool but you could tell that he was totally overworked and overstressed. Poor Guy!

We were assigned a dinner table with 3 other families-so they became our family away from home on the ship. We'd come together every night for two weeks to share all about our adventures for the day. Funny enough--we'd also run into them at almost every port somewhere out in the big city. For instance, in Rome--population 2,656,000--along with the millions of extra tourists that are around every day---it was amazing that we would run into someone we knew!Our first day we went to Cannes, France--and it was awesome! It was very hot, but we got the opportunity to tour a perfume factory!

Rome, Florence and Naples were OK, but super hot and sometimes stressful to make it back to the ship. In Rome we made it back to the ship with 18 minutes to spare before the boat left! Whew! We tried to catch a 3 o'clock train, but it was an hour and a half late, and the train ride was an hour and a half, and then we had to run 5 blocks in 106 degree weather with high humidity to catch a bus to take us to the ship. Talk about stressful.

Naples was gross--it reminded me of downtown Oakland. Blah.

Venice was my most favorite stop. Even though I had been there two other times, there was something so beautiful and magical about being in the city at night! St. Mark's square flooded and the reflections of the beautiful buildings on the water was awesome!

Dubrovnik was beautiful, but then it rained and turned into quite the adventure. We went to take my grandfather's ashes to Croatia---and we did that too---but that was quite the story getting the ashes into our suitcase and onto the boat. This is a photo of us before we got hit by the rain.This was after we walked the wall. It was really like we had been swimming in our clothes!

Corfu, Greece was beautiful with gorgeous blue water--but because we're only there for a day--we didn't get to see tons! There was lots of great shopping though, and after awhile I started to ask--"VISA?" I bought some beautiful pieces of jewelry and a really loud and obnoxious horn.

You couldn't leave Greece without trying some of this:

Overall it was an amazing trip--but there is nothing like being in the good ol' U S of A!

Journey part dos

We haven't even been here 48 hours and I feel like our little vacation is coming to a close....it finally hit me that we will have two flippin' weeks on boat...and I'm not quite sure how I really feel about that--but excited for the journey ahead of us!

We spent yesterday exploring Barcelona. It is such a beautiful place with so much to see, as with any European city. There is something special about this place though. We slept in until about 8:30 and then took our dear sweet time getting out of our hotel. We were waken up by and old church's bells. Beautiful! I think of that newer coldplay song that came out? hehe

The funniest story from yesterday was when we had gotten off of our bus for a bite to eat and to walk around and explore parts of the city. We were walking through alley-like paths and were discovering all these cute little shops or cafes. We walked into one shop and the lady was so happy. She didn't really speak any english, but she was full of things to say in Espanol. I bought a magnet and she refused to give it to me for full price. She went on giggling and talking and told us about the Picasso museum that was "gratis" and sure enough we were able to get in for free! I think the lady had a little too much Sangria on her lunch break--but either way--she was great! I took my photo with her and she pinched my cheeks---and it hurt! She declared herself my Espana Mama. haha!

Also another one of Ellen-isms....We were deciding on a place to eat dinner and I said, Let's go to a Tappas Bar and Ellen replied, A topless bar? Ew Greta! It doesn't sound as funny typed out now, but it was funny at the time. :-)

We get on the ship today so I'm not sure how much internet there will be---so until then--adios! Ciao Bella!

The Adventure Begins!

Emily, Ellen and I made it to Bacelona tonight! It has been such a fun adventure so far, and its also going pretty well considering. I guess its only been one day though, but a girl can hope!

We left Friday at 4pm from SFO and flew to LAX and then to Zurich, Switzerland. I've taken many overseas flights in the last few years, but I feel like this was one of the longest. LAX to Switzerland. At one point during the flight it seemed my butt might fall off if I didn't get up that instant. Ellen and I got a two-seater on the side of the plane and Emily had to sit next to a stranger who did not know about having an invisible personal space bubble. Poor guy also had dandruff that was snowing from his head onto my tray. Woo! We flew Swiss Air--a first--but I really loved it. They gave everyone, not just 1st class, warm wash clothes when they wanted us to wake up, they had little TVs for everyone and you could start and finish a movie whenever you wanted as well as the Captain of the plane was awesome! I had a few more fears than normal flying because of all the different airplane crashes in the last 6 months but our captain stood outside and greeted everyone as we got on the flight. He looked smart and experienced. The only downfall of the entire flight was the bathroom was right behind our heads, so we did have to hear a few people getting sick, and we heard the toilet SWWOOOOOOSSSSHHH too many times to count!

We flew into Zurich and I'm not a runner, but I just wanted to go run through the green fields and the beautiful old looking villages with the Swiss Cottages scattered across the countryside! It was like the airport didn't belong there. It was great because I got a Swiss stamp in the passport!!

On our flight there Ellen said, "Aren't we going to Zertec, like the name of the medicine?" Zurich, land of allergies? hehe.

About two hours later we boarded a flight to Barcelona where we got our luggage and braved taking a city bus to our hotel. It saved us so much money because a cab would have been so much!! We got Euros and got on that bus like we knew what we were doing! *We're such great fakers!!! We're staying in Plaza de Cantalunya and there is so much to see! Its right next to Las Ramblas where there is so much going on! Hundreds of men selling fake purses, but ready to run when the police come. Tapa Bars left and right. I even saw two starbucks--which is great news for me because that means I get to add Barcelona to my collection of mugs from around the world!

We are here all day tomorrow and then on Monday figure out a way to get to the port to get onto the ship!

Alright! I'll post pictures when I return! Please continue to pray for the safety of us and and our health!

Besos! Muah!

Koala Lou

If you have not read Koala Lou, by Mem Fox, can I recommend it to you? It's such a cute story about a Koala who loves his mom. Over and over she would always say, "Koala Lou-I do love you!" After the mom has a whole bunch of other koalas, Koala Lou doesn't think that his mom loves him anymore, so he joins the Koala Olympics so his mom will say, "Koala Lou-I do love you!"

We had a long talk in class about how it may not seem like our mommies or daddies don't love us, but really they love us so much and sometimes they just don't know how to say it. We all shared stories of a time when we did something to upset our parents. One kid said he 'organized' his mom's boss' desk. He was in big trouble! Whoops! I told them that if their moms didn't love you, they wouldn't have had you.

To that, my Mary Kate raised her hand and said very sure of herself, "Having babies is hard work." She then started to make pushing sounds and get very dramatic. I tried to hold my laughs in.

I said, "Mary Kate-how do you know what having a baby is like?"

Mary Kate: "I know Miss Dobie. I've had a lot of baby......(long pause).....dolls."

To this she just started cracking herself up, which got me to laugh out loud too.

More Thoughts

This last week at school was really difficult, but got easier as the days progressed. It was so hard dealing with Angel’s death. I went to the memorial for her on Thursday night. It was beautiful and simple. There was a priest that did the service, and he kept on saying that because we live in “Christian Culture” the service will be done with a Christian emphasis. The priest, who didn’t even know Angel nor had ever met her prayed many prayers with the “we will see you again” emphasis. Instead I wish he would had shared the gospel.

It saddens me that this man had the opportunity to share, and instead just went with the ‘christian culture’ mindset that heaven is the next step for everyone. I didn't know Angel enough to know whether or not she had a relationship with the Lord but generally speaking, the priest should have shared Jesus!

I also was getting cranky because of all the speakers. I don’t know the people who spoke at the service’s hearts, but I did know a few of them, and they too just read poems or spoke of Heaven and God in the ‘christian culture’ mindset.

These people really had no clue that they were talking about our Heavenly Father, all-knowing, all powerful, all merciful God. One speaker said that whatever your last job was on earth is what you’ll be doing in heaven, so Angel will be teaching the special needs children in Heaven and what better job in Heaven than a teacher!

I am so sad by this. Heaven is all about praising and worshiping God and nothing else!! We will not be teaching children, running businesses, acting as lawyers, etc. I’m trying to be sensitive but also stand up for the injustice the mindset of Heaven for non-believers. If you live in the christian culture, that does not guarantee you a golden ticket to heaven.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Ask Him to be Lord of your life and when you die, you will be with him.

Its Been Forever...

Gosh, I haven't blogged in ages, but my excuse will be that if its not one thing, its another. I feel like blogging is so great, because I record cool things that happen in my daily life and then will have the opportunity to go back and read about them, but at the end of the day, after a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is sit down and write about what happened.

So much has happened in the last month! I got really sick, had to go to a hearing to fight for my job, I tried to buy a house, reality sank in that I will be paying full rent by myself, and a co-worker and friend was tragically killed in an accident are just to name a few.

My students have been driving me up the wall for the last month. This last week seemed to go a lot better. It all started when I took a day off to go observe other first grade classes. BTSA (a school-payed class I had to take for two years) paid for me to go, and its important that I do that, but I didn't want to leave my babies all by themselves. For one, I just don't like to do that, and for two-I know they would turn into monsters once I stepped foot outside the classroom. I have to have them on such a tight leash that any loosening and the kids will go nuts!

The students turning into monsters is exactly what happened. My sub who was an ex-cop and an ex-teacher told me my class was the worst class he had EVER subbed for in his life. Woah! That makes me feel proud!

Now here I am...scared to take another day off. The following week though I had to take two days off to attend the hearing to fight for my job. It was very important I was there, so I asked my friend Eliza to sub. She did a better job, but it sounds like they wrote sentences and sat in time out the majority of the day. At least it was a safe environment for the kids.

I won't find anything out with my job until next week, but I have a feeling I will be getting the really, for real, the district isn't fooling around lay-off notice next week. Then I'll get another one in July that says: please come back, we layed off too many teachers and would be in big trouble if you don't come back.

So if that happens, I can get unemployment for two months during the summer. Sweet. Is that wrong? I really don't know. I know as Christians we should be self-sufficient and not need the support of the gov't, but what if I don't need it, but would love the extra cash. Is it wrong to take it anyway? HHmmm.

This last week I've been mourning the loss of a friend and fellow 4th grade teacher named Angel Arrellano. She was driving down south and was in a horrid accident and was killed instantly. My school community has been dealing with this, and helping the students to deal with the loss of a teacher. My school's students come from rough homes and for many of them-school is their constant in their life. I would go as far to say too that some teachers are the students' 'mothers' as the moms at home are not really present or involved in any way. The 4th grade class was a SPED (special ed) class. Not physical disabilities but the students are slower, and a lower level accademically then the rest of the students. These kids are already more troubled, and then to lose their teacher----it has been hard.

More on that later.

Right now I need to load up my car for my drive down to SLO to visit my grandma, Mommers, and celebrate Mother's Day and her Birthday! Woo!

Weekend Recap

I had a busy but restful weekend and wanted to write all about it before I forget it all!

Friday was Good Friday and after a very stressful day at school a big group of people met at PF Changs and surprised my roommate for her 23rd birthday. We surprised Sara and the meal was wonderful. Even better than that, a stranger paid for our bill + tax & tip! An older single lady was sitting behind us, and I don't know what it was, but she picked up our bill! When someone from the table asked for the bill, the waiter said that the lady behind us had paid but she didn't want us to know until she had left. That NEVER happens! It was so cool!

We then went to church and had a Good Friday service at Calvary. There was a great turn-out, with great worship and communion and prayer.

Afterwards a bunch of people went over to Heather's to celebrate Sara just a little bit more. Heather baked a beautiful cake and it was a great time to get to know some people just a tad more. We then got to play the glorious game of Mafia! I am not a good liar, but was able to trick a few people.

It was fun to be able to celebrate with Sara her 23rd year. I have known Sara since 2004 and its been fun to be able to witness first hand how God has molded her into a woman who loves Jesus.

Saturday I woke up, went to Costco then was off to my mom's to visit with my Grandma. We hung out and made dinner together. Ellen and Emily arrived a few hours later and we watched The Sound of Music for the thousandth time and then said goodnight to Grandma!

Since 2003 I have made it my tradition to attend the community sunrise service at Lover's Point and was able to make it this morning.

I came home, picked up Emily and we headed out to my mom's again to hang out with my grandma for the day. We found Easter baskets, made dinner and even got my 88 year old grandma to play the Wii. (Pictures hopefully to follow...)

I got to hang out with good friends, my family, take a few naps and celebrate all the things Jesus did on the cross!

Families

So when I was younger we had to say this prayer before every dinner we had together as a family:

We are a family

We need one another
We love one another
We forgive one another

We work together
We play together
We worship together

Together we use God's word
Together we grow in Christ
Together we love all men
Together we serve our God
Together we hope for heaven

These are our hopes and ideals
Help us to attain them,O God
Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

Last night's study totally reminded me of it again. God is so good and has given me a great family family, but has also blessed me with an incredible church family. I love em!

Victory!

So tonight the city of Pacific Grove approved the growth of The Bridge in PG. They had to send out letters to 159 neighbors and put a big yellow sign in front of the big yellow house.

After all the letters were sent out, and the sign that was posted, there was only 1 letter of kind of disapproval, asking that the sign not be there. I think overall the people from The Bridge had the same complaint that they didn't want the big yellow sign in front of their house either. Nobody showed up this evening to dispute the growth, and in a year there has not been one complaint from the neighbors.

The president of the PG chamber of commerce came to the meeting tonight, sporting his Bridge t-shirt. This guy isn't a christian but just a community member who sees that without the guys from the Bridge many things would not be done in Pacific Grove. He went on to list all the things that have been done, including helping and clean up of the Feast of Lantern Festival, serving at the Feast of Salads, Highway 68 clean up, PG Triathalon set-up, help and clean up, PG Concourse, Yellow Brick Road Help, Monarch Sanctuary clean-up and removal of trees, and the list could go on and on.

It's true what the president said. With CA's fiscal situation, PG cannot afford NOT to have The Bridge around. Without them, many events that bring money to Pacific Grove would be waay understaffed.

Anyway... Woohoo! Congrats guys!

New Visa Info for UK

This was taken from my UK pastor's prayer requests... He is a pastor/missionary in London, England. Would you pray with me?

At the turn of the year the British Home Office quietly changed the rules for people entering the country to do volunteer work. They are now considered as workers, even though they will not be paid. Therefore they are required to have the proper paperwork and pay for visas. They are no longer considered tourists.

This applies to individuals and groups of people. Small groups are now going to have to pay for visas along with their airfare and accommodation. And those planning to host these groups are required to advertise the positions in mainline newspapers, even though these so-called positions are voluntary and not remunerated.

There are two main options. Either groups will be forced to fill out reams of applications and comply with unreasonable financial demands, or some groups will simply not comply, and try to fly under the radar. Those that are discovered might harm the movement by their actions.

He is going to try to talk to his local Member of Parliament tomorrow night, to ask him to see if there is anything that can be done about this. Please pray that he would have the boldness to do this.

Meet....

Fish Stick!

I went out on Thursday night to take some clothes back and Marshall's and drove past Pet Smart and for some ODD reason, I parked my car and went inside and came out with a fish. (I think I don't know what inspired me, but I am now the proud owner of Fish Stick, a female Beta.

Male Beta's were 5.99 and females only 2.99, so of course I went for the cheaper! Males are normally bigger with bigger fins and females are smaller and are produced more than males. The guy at Petsmart said that a Beta can live outside the water for 15 minutes! Interesting!

I read Marley and Me on the cruise and instantly became an animal lover. Marley and Me the movie was based on a non-fiction book and that book made me appreciate animals. Although I'm not going to go out and buy a cat or a dog anytime soon, the fish is bringing out the animal lover in me more and more everyday.

I found myself, the first night I got her, worrying about Fish Stick. My house is usually cooler than most homes and the living room gets really cool in the middle of the night. I actually woke up with that thought and brought her to my room where it was warmer. I even considered making her a class fish for my first graders, but then decided against that as I already love her and know my kids would destroy her within a few weeks!

Spring Break 2009

My friend Stacy and I left last Monday morning at 6am to drive down to Long Beach to catch a Carnival Cruise to Catalina and Ensenada. It was a great time to get away. I slept, didn't think about teaching, read an entire book and hung out with Stacy.

It was a very uneventful drive, minus the time I got pulled over. A cop got behind me and stayed behind me for awhile, he pulled out next to me, and then slowed down, got behind me, turned on his lights and pulled me over. Stacy started praying hard-core and I kept my hands on the wheel. I rolled down the window and said, "What did I do wrong Officer?" He told me I did nothing wrong, he just wanted to let me know my gas tank was open. Cops aren't usually that nice. It sure scared the crap outta me, but thankfully no ticket only a helpful suggestion! Phew!

We got down to Long Beach by 11:30 and were able to meet up with Jaime and Andrea for lunch. I got to deliver their Christmas presents that I never sent!


Next we headed out to the boat, parked our car and went through the registration to get on the boat! Our room was small but we had a great window that allowed us to look at the ocean the entire trip. The first night we were pretty much passed out by 9:30-it was so nice to be away!

Alwyn was our cabin steward who made us cool towel animals every night. He was from India and is on the 4month/2month on the boat off the boat schedule. One of the best parts of being on the ship was that our entire cruise staff was international.





Tuesday morning we parked out in the ocean and we were able to visit Catalina Island. It was beautiful. It looked like Pacific Grove only on an island. We got some great photos, walked around and went back to the ship. There was a little boat that took us from the boat to the shore.




Wednesday morning we woke up in Mexico. Stacy and I took a $3 bus to the town centre where we took another bus to La Bufadora where we had hundreds of Mexican Natives attack us to buy things.

Stacy and I would begin to go into a shop and then about 5 different people would come at us in all directions offering us perscriptions, purses, wallets, clothes, churros and even boyfriends.

We would go into a shop and when people would attack us we'd leave. I really wanted to buy a purse, so we finally went into one shop and took matters into our own hands. We walked in and firmly (haha) told the poor guys that if they bothered us that we'd be outta there faster than we walked in, and if we had any questions we'd ask them. It worked and I got myself a real leather fake branded Dolce and Gabana purse! woo!

I then had some fish tacos, and we boarded back on the bus, went into town and walked around before getting back on the boat.

I was excited that there was a Starbucks and I was able to buy an Ensenada mug to add to my collection of mugs from around the world!


Thursday we had all day on the ship and arrived back in Long Beach at 6am where we drove home around 9.

Stacy had her camera with her more than I did, so when she sends me some I'll post them!

If you've never been on a cruise before, you should check them out! They are super cheap with all food and lodging free, because the cruise assumes that you'll spend at least $100 on drinks, a couple hundred on gambling, another hundred or so on excursions, $50 on photographs taken by a professional on ship, etc etc.

If you are cheap like me, you only pay gratuities and you're good to go!

On Friday morning the cruise people put our bills under our doors and some of the bills were half way in the hallway, so of course I looked! Thanks to the drunkards across the hall who spent $750 onboard and to others like them--cruises are cheap!

=)

Spring Break

Tomorrow is our last day before Spring Break, and I am stoked! My friend Stacy and I will be going on a cruise to Catalina and to Mexico. I am most looking forward to not having cell phone reception or internet access!

Pictures to come later. =)

Way Off Broadway and CPK

On Friday evening I went to see Calvary Christian's Way Off Broadway production for Amanda Hill's 28th birthday. The students put on a great performance and afterwards we all went out for some cake to celebrate Amanda!

Pink Slip Friday

So God had me totally prepared for my pink slip I got last Friday and I have such a peace about it. We sang a song at the Chris Tomlin concert called "God of this City" and I felt that God had really pressed on my heart the missionary call, but to reach out to my peninsula. God is bigger than pink slips or financial trouble of any kind. But more important than that is that God has so much work to do in my community and communities.

So yesterday I had to go to a meeting where I would be meeting with a lawyer that the Teacher's Union supplies us with. Before yesterday I wasn't too worried about the whole hearing process, but when the lawyer started throwing out judicial terms and talking about how we might have to testify, it finally hit me! This is kind-of a big deal, especially to those without hope of Jesus in their lives. Please pray for a peace with the teachers who received pink slips.

(I don't know why they call them pink slips because it was white!)

On April 16th and 17th there is a hearing planned where the district pays for a sub and I have to go to a hearing, possibly testify and wait to see if the district does anything wrong so the lawyer can ask the judge to dismiss the lay-offs. Basically, if you are going to get chopped, that's whats going to happen....and the lawyer mess is just a technicality that the union must follow to make sure they are doing their part to protect jobs.

For me, I'm thankful because its two days off! The day off won't be that fun, but at least I'll have a day to make lists, grade papers, etc.

Below is a picture from the meeting where about 85% of the teachers were present. The district's plan is to cut 113 total positions! Wow!

So along that point of politics....There will be an election May 19th where we the people will vote on whether or not the state needs to pay the districts the money that was promised to keep class-size reduction. (20 kids in a K-3 class instead of 30.)

So please VOTE YES on PROP 1B. If not...there will be 30 students in a classroom with an already overburdened teacher with no help.

Also, just pray if anything. I know the district hates doing this, but in some situations they are being faced with, there is nothing much more that can be done.

I heart Chris.

I have so much to share, but I feel like there has been one thing after another, but if I wait too much longer I might forget all my fun details!

I'll start with last Thursday. I went to a Chris Tomlin concert and it was amazing! If you don't know who Chris is...you are missing out. He has written many of the songs people sing in churches these days and is soo stinkin' talented. He's also 36 and single. hehe.

The ride was so beautiful with a double rainbow and a few other single but FULL rainbows.

The most memorable part of this adventure was after we had stopped at In & Out where I got a large Ice Tea but before we got to the concert where we got stuck in some major traffic around SJSU where there were no McDonald's or Gas Stations but just residential homes.

I had to pee SO bad. I am NOT one of those people on road trips that has to go every mile and I am usually quite good at holding it, but that night was a different story. I had to take off my seatbelt, poor out the rest of the ice tea in the street so I wouldn't have to look at any liquid, but that still did not do me any justice.

My dear friends Mike and Eliza were with me along with two other friends. We had been stuck in traffic, barely moving past residential home after residential home. I got Eliza to come with me, we jumped out of that car as fast as we could and we were on a mission to find a bathroom. Too bad for me, like I said earlier...there were NO bathrooms around....

So after about two minutes of walking, Eliza and I found ourselves knocking on the door of a stranger's home asking to use the bathroom. Now I know this is not the safest thing to do, but there was really no other choice.

It was a really sweet family that barely spoke any english, but they were so gracious to me. I wanted to take a picture for my blog, but I think they really would had been freaked out. So I thanked them with a two dollar tip and ran out the door. Right as we were walking out of the door our ride pulled up along with the other traffic in front of the house....so we hopped back in and got to the concert together.

Chris put on a GREAT show. Words can't describe! He had put his Jesus Messiah words on the screen--here's a picture from a clip of it.

Prayer Request

I was doing some math and counting teachers involved in the potential cuts for the 2009/2010 school year and there is a great chance that I am one of those that could be on the chopping block.

It's exciting because I've never been in a place where I would need to fully rely on God for my next step because although God guides my steps, I've pretty much been aware of the ride the entire time.

So...May 15th I'll know for sure so I just ask prayer that the Lord's will be done in my life and that I can keep His peace that passes understanding.

I love my school (even as difficult as it is--a kid tried to burn it down on Friday) and love my kids I serve, but maybe there is something else out there for me?

So please pray!

Cheers!

RED envelopes

Thanks Morgan!

The Story...

Below is a letter that has been circulating with a great idea. The message began in silent prayer from a faithful follower who was spending quiet time with God.

Dear Friends and Intercessors:

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do:

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20500

On the back, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then send this website to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president!!

Lost Vegas

Mary Kate: Miss Dobie?

me: Yes, Mary Kate?

Mary Kate: Do they call Las Vegas "Las Vegas" because people get lost there?

Pink Slips

So our state is in a financial crisis, which means our schools are in a financial crisis. Every teacher in my district that has taught 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 years will be getting a pink slip. If you have at least 7 years...you are safe.

My school is a very difficult one to work at, and the majority of teachers often move to other schools once they have been in the district long enough, because in all reality, other schools are easier to be a teacher at.

In April there is going to be a hearing for all the teachers that will get pink slips with a lawyer from the union representing us.

Here's where it makes me laugh a bit. The hearing will be during the day, which means teachers must leave their classrooms and get a sub. We NEVER have enough subs in our district and there have been numerous times I have had to take another class because of not enough subs.

I was just at my staff meeting and looking around the room, out of about 40 staff members (or so) there are about 7 that are safe.

King is a rough school and can be not the safest place if administration and teachers are not in charge.

Teachers are REQUIRED to go to this hearing in April.

This means that on a K-8 campus there is going to be about 30 subs? Probably not, because this is probably the case, or similiar, at many other schools in my district.

Movie day district wide?

Rufus

Tonight Pastor Nate mentioned the name Rufus and referred it to the Rufus from the Bible for about 30 seconds, but any Rufus talk is always great. Rufus is the son of Simon, the man who carried the cross for Jesus. Some people say Rufus went onto become a missionary.

When I was in the UK I went to a church called Calvary Chapel Twickenham, and I was there for the second sunday in a row and asked God to really show me if that was where I was suppose to be. Low and Behold, Pastor Matt who was teaching talked a tiny bit about Rufus--but enough to know God has a sense of humor and was confirming me to be at the Twick--and man! I am so pleased that I was able to call that my place of worship.

Did you know Rufus means red? Pastor Tonye from Shoreline actually looked it up for me.

Did you know there is a little tiny no good no nothing town in Oregon called Rufus, where my love first began as I would make long treks back and forth from Walla Walla to CA and back.

Rufus is the name of my car and actually dream about getting __RUFUS__ on the license plate.

I also will consider Rufus as a name for my first male child.

(I am reading this and realize I do sound quite nutty. I probably am for loving Rufus that much.)

Go Rufus!

Happy Valentine's Day!

YesterdayI got a card from one of my students that says: To the woman in my life xoxo. It did give me a few laughs.

Valentine's Day is great if you have a significant other, but for those who are single like me, here are a few great reasons to celebrate Valentine's Day by yourself!

We can make spur of the moment plans, and when we do, we don't have to call home and check with anyone to make sure its okay.

We can read in bed as late as we want without the light bothering anyone.

We can talk aloud to God while we do the dishes and no one looks at us funny.

We can hog the covers, closet, ice cream and the remote.

We can buy floral sheets and no one will complain.

We're free to invest all kinds of time and money and energy in missions trips, church stuff, us stuff without having to ask someone else first.

We can go weeks in the winter months without shaving our legs.

We can go where we want on Vacationi.

All the hairs in tub drain are ours.

The toilet seat is always down.

We don't have to justify any purchases big or small to anyone but God.

We're free to have undivided devotion to the Lord. (1 Cor. 7:33)

Any others?

Ultrasound Bill

Found this online---its worth a read!

____________________________________

Lawmakers in 11 states are considering bills that would offer or require ultrasounds before a woman gets an abortion. The most stringent are proposed laws in Nebraska, Indiana and Texas, which would require a doctor show the ultrasound image of the fetus to the woman, despite legal challenges to a similar measure in Oklahoma.

A similar bill was proposed in Wyoming but it was defeated in a state House committee before reaching the floor.

"Many times, these are young mothers who are in vulnerable situations. And they are about to make a very grave choice." said Nebraska Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln, who introduced the ultrasound bill (LB675) there. "This is about informed consent."

Sixteen states already have laws related to abortion ultrasounds, some requiring they be performed and others requiring a woman be told where she can get a free ultrasound.

But Oklahoma's law, which is being challenged in court, is the only one that requires the image to be presented to the woman, even if she refuses to look at it. It also requires the doctor to describe the picture.

Indiana's proposal requires the mother to listen to the fetal heartbeat.

Oklahoma's law was supposed to go into effect Nov. 1, but a judge put it on hold after the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit saying it intrudes on privacy, endangers health and assaults dignity.

"They really do not even veil their goal, which is to make a woman feel badly and to make her change her mind," said Celine Mizrahi, a lawyer for the New York-based center. "It really is a ridiculous position to put the doctor and patient in."

Most women who have decided to terminate a pregnancy have made the decision after considering facts and options, Mizrahi said. And the medical procedure, she said, is between a doctor and a patient.

Fulton, who said he opposes abortion, also introduced a less restrictive bill (LB676) in Nebraska. It requires the physician performing the abortion to tell a woman an ultrasound is available, but it doesn't require the ultrasound to be performed.

Sen. Heath Mello, a Democrat who said he opposes abortion, signed on as a co-sponsor, calling the measure a "positive first step to reducing the number of abortions in Nebraska."

"It seemed like a good compromise, without bringing in the constitutional issues seen in other states," he said.

A similar compromise was reached last year in South Carolina, after more than a year of debate over whether to require a woman to view the ultrasound.

The bill's sponsor settled for a law requiring that women be given the option of viewing an ultrasound at least one hour before getting an abortion.

This year, there's legislation in South Carolina to make the waiting period 24 hours.

But even these less restrictive ultrasound laws — which can "seem less scary to folks who are pro-choice" — are troublesome, Mizrahi said.

For instance, they may require a referral to a place that offers ultrasounds for free.

Most of those, Mizrahi said, are so-called "crisis pregnancy centers," run by anti-abortion groups and "set up specifically to discourage women from having abortions."

Fulton's not sure yet which of his two bills is the best option, but he said they have the same goal.

"We all want to see the number of abortions decrease," he said. "Let's give this information to a mother who's about to make a huge decision."

Lately

This week was a long one, and I am so very thankful that it's Saturday on a 3-day weekend! Thanks to a dead president, some can have an extra day to reflect and rest. woo!

So I did the Denny's thing this week where I met a new friend. Tuesday Evening I went to Monterey Live where Erika Soto was playing. She was sick and still put on a great concert. There was another band that sounded great when they were doing sound check, but unfortunately it was way to late to be up on a school night. I told them that they sounded great but I had to work in the morning.

Then one guy came over to where I was and told him that I would feel less guilty for leaving if I bought something from his merchandise table. Nope. No Guilt.

This picture is kind of blurry...oops.


On Wednesday at school I had some difficulties with some of my students. One tried to bite me. This time he was not as successful as last time. I'm getting quicker. =) The student first threw a chair and climbed under some desks. I had to take a picture, because that's what good photographers do, take photos of things people wouldn't believe, but also to show the parent later on that their child really isn't as good as they think their little angel is.

He was yelling, "YOU can't see my face" as if to say, I've really outsmarted my teacher now...my mom will never be able to recognize me now.

So anyway, it doesn't have his face, so its legal to post it online I guess?



There's another little girl who just drives me nuts, but also has become very dear to my heart. She is a big trouble maker but full of laughs everyday.

On Wednesday afternoon after dealing with almost getting bit, I walked into my classroom where a few students were in for detention and this little girl was leading the kids in trouble in a little made-up prayer about ghosts and stuff and then taught the kids the sign of the cross from the Catholic church.

She is a clever one...actually getting the other students to buy into it, even though she was making it up on the spot. I wish you could have seen her smirk of pride.

Last night my mom came over for some Wii and dinner and then I went out to Alvarado in downtown Monterey for some street witnessing. I had three awesome conversations with random people and Jesus.

We use to the good person test (Take it Here-Are you a Good Person?) I stumbled over the words, but still had meaningful conversations. And even though it rained, it still was a great night!

David

Yesterday morning Denny's was giving away free Grand Slams, so Sara and I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to hang out with eachother and get some grub before work. I looked it up after I got to work and it was a whopping 800 calories with 50 grams of fat. Sick.

Sara and I drove in our own cars so we could leave straightaway to work after. I parked, walked quickly to put our name down because thousands of people were also taking advantage of FREE.

As I was waiting to put our name down there was this cute old man in front of me, and he wrote his name on the sheet but then asked what to put in the column with a number. I told him to write how many people were with him. He wrote "1" so I feel a little sad for him. Was he homeless? Was he without money? My first thought wast to invite him to eat with us.

So I signed in for two, and then sat down next to the old man. He was cute. I guess I have a thing for older men. ha. He had a British accent and was full of stories that kept me laughing the entire time. He knew where Walla Walla is as he has family in Pasco. He has a british/texas girlfriend he met at the senior center.

Someone once told me that I never have met a stranger. I kinda like that idea.

Friends

Last night I went out with a friend I've known for some time, but haven't seen in ages. But despite the fact that I hadn't seen her in awhile, we were able to pick up exactly where we left off!

I went to college with Julie. (I feel like I am too young to say, "I went to college with her.") She is now married with a cute 14 month old baby. She was back into town for a baby shower without her husband, so we went to a cute place for dinner and then just went to the house where she was crashing and enjoyed each other's company until late.

It was sweet.

Sunday

Yesterday I drove down to Los Osos again to visit my sisters and my dad and grandma (Mommers).

Mommers decided that because it was my dad's birthday we needed to go out for a nice meal. She also decided that because my sister's boyfriend had never met Mommers that he needed to come too. What Mommers wants Mommers gets. There is NEVER arguing with Mommers.

Well....Ellen's boyfriend, surprisingly, didn't know this about Mommers. We went to a fancy place for dinner and boyfriend slipped the credit card to the waitress before the meal started. When it was time to pay for the bill there was a huge commotion of fighting for the bill and after an embarrasing 3 minutes of going back and forth, Mommers finally figured out boyfriend paid. This was not Mommer's plan, especially when boyfriend was invited out. Poor kid...He'll learn next time.

On a completely different subject, I was driving back up to Monterey and I saw 4 different rainbows, if you can believe it. I love rainbows because they remind me of the promises God has for us. I have a feeling God is wanting me to remember one He told me awhile back...that I just can't understand.

Anyway. So. Monday is tomorrow and I have a full 5 days in front of me. I'll be teaching the kids how to tell time to the hour, half-hour and quarter in math and the long a sound through 'ai' and 'ay' with words like rain or pay in Language Arts. Hopefully we'll get to some science. In writing we're working on great leads for our narratives and in ELD I'll be teaching the kids how to use before, after and when in sentences along with how to use er and est properly like (good, better best or bad, worse, worst). Prayerfully it won't be raining so we will actually be able to go outside for PE, otherwise Denise Richards has a kids workout DVD that I pop in, move the desks and let the kids sweat out their crazies a bit.

Gosh reading that, my job sounds so easy! I wish it would be as smooth and easy as it sounds above.

I need prayer to make it through until the end with these kids. I do love them so much. They are all so special and awesome but they are S---T---R---E---T---C---H---I---N---G me in every way, which is probably a good thing huh?

There's about 6 who aren't reading yet but NEED to be, so that's my goal to somehow break through whatever is going on in their little brains and make them remember the letter sounds and to teach them to blend words.

Well with all that said, I am going to try and get ready for bed but I am having this strong desire to move my furniture around in my room.....

Happy New Week!

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr.

This morning's message at church was about being one body but having different members and parts. Just like each part of our bodies are important, each part in the body of Christ is also important. Dr. Martin Luther King was a pastor and my guess was that he probably loved this bit of scripture.

Probably because I teach first grade and I teach my kids about Martin Luther King Jr, I remember every year how important it is for people to be accepted into our society.

I tried to teach my kids how awesome it is that black, filipino, mexican, white, vietnamese, and brazilian can be in one class, and that this was not always the case.

I tried then to take a picture to show all the different shades of colors represented in the classroom.

Of course they all fought to have their hand on top, (while my principal was observing) which defeats the purpose of the entire lesson, but hopefully the lesson will stick with them?

Beautiful

I went for a walk on the beach yesterday to take advantage of the beautiful weather the central coast has been having lately.

I got to the beach, where God blessed me with a parking spot! Marina State Beach has a tiny parking lot and people were circling and circling for a spot-I pulled up and got one.

After getting the parking spot, I was reminded of a section of a book where the author was describing having some time with God and she asked God to show her that he was near. She was in a quiet spot on some water and a whale came out of no where and splashed his tail. I was thinking that would be so cool, but I didn't ask God for anything.

I started walking out on the coastline and once I was far away from people, I sat in the sand and looked out on the ocean. I saw a big group (about 20) of sea otters surfing the waves. I then looked out just past the waves and I kept on seeing the spray of water and a large black spot out on the ocean. I was convinved it was a whale, but then second guessed myself, justifying that a whale would not be visible from the shore.

About an hour later on the walk back to my car a couple approached me and asked me if I had seen the whale that was out there. They had binaculors, so I knew it had to be a whale!

It was so cool. God wants to do great things even when we don't ask. He brings us something, a gift, a word, and then brings someone along to confirm it sometimes.

My little sister is 24.

My little sister isn't really little anymore. She turned 24 on Friday so last weekend I drove down to have a pre-birthday celebration. Happy 24th Ellen!

We went to visit the Elephant Seals where they had just given birth. The baby seals were so cute. Poor things though, the dumb seagulls were attacking the babies and their mommies because they wanted to eat the after-birth. (gross.)

On the way home I drove up the coast and the day was beautiful for a scenic drive. I saw a CA condor, which I guess, are endangered and there are only 25 left!

Portland

I realized I never even let you know about my recent trip to Portland. I had gotten home from our Christmas celebration in St. Helena and Sacramento and was sitting restless for just two days. Over my breaks I feel like I really need to get on an airplane. Some people are addicted to alcohol or drugs, but for me-its travel.

My friend, Tai, called me on Monday afternoon and we caught up and she casually asked me what I was doing for New Years. I was on the phone and quickly looked up some flights to Portland while chatting. I said something about coming up there, and she said YES! So...I booked the flight. I had had this desire to go back to the Pacific Northwest for sometime, hoping it would be Walla Walla, but Portland filled the desire for awhile.

Tai is a dear friend from high school. The last time I saw her was five years ago while in London. She had spent 2 years in the peace corps and relocated to Portland where she teaches Kindergarten in Vancouver.

Portland was really cute with tons of little shops and places to go out for drinks or to eat. Tai took me to a Lebanese restaraunt and an African restaurant to name a few. We spent a lot of time in Powell's Book Shop, where I barely explored just a few sections. I could spend weeks in that place. We walked around the city and just enjoyed catching up.

The best part of all was that it snowed! It had been cold and we went to bed, and woke up with white ground! It was awesome.

I also was to see Klickitat Street in Portland. If anyone ever read any of the Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary you'll recognize it too. :-)

CheatSheets

I am teaching my kids about pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. It is always difficult for them to get that a nickel is 5 cents or the same as 5 pennies, but the nickel is bigger in size than the dime that is worth more.

So last year I made cheat sheets for the kids. I did this cool thing with money on the board, took a picture of it, and made 20 copies of that picture at Costco, then laminated them for the kids to use this year.

So I sit my kids down and say, "Boys and girls....I've made a cheatsheet for you this year to help you remember how much a nickel is worth." Before I am even finished talking the entire class lets out a big "EEEWWWW." I get a confused look on my face.

My Mary Kate (Miss Thang who knows everything about everything) leans over, puts one hand next to her mouth, squeezes her chest with her other hand and says, "Miss Dobie-they think you mean these, Chi-Chi's."

I was shocked beyond belief and didn't know what to say other than to thank Mary Kate for helping translate for me.

much aka so much

Miss Dobie I spelled a really hard word all by myself: I spelled much!

s-o-m-u-c-h.

cute.

Guess What?

I was telling my students this morning about all the snow I saw in Portland. My CA kids dream of snow but rarely any of my students actually have ever seen it.

I set the stage, telling the students how cold it was and how it snows sometimes. I talked about my heavy jacket I had to wear and how I had to wear tennis shoes and not Birkenstocks. I then asked my students, "Guess what I got to see in Portland? It was very special.."

Mary Kate shouted out--a Leprechaun! The funny part was that she was serious!

I do enjoy having time off, but these moments make teaching fun too.

Portland Snow

I'm in Portland and it snowed last night! I haven't seen snow in ages. I think the last time I saw snow was when I lived in London. It's beautiful! I can't post pictures now but I will when I return!

Portland is awesome. Very diverse--lots to do and see.  Last night I went to Powell's book shop. It takes up an entire city block with both new and used books in different rooms. There are about 10 different rooms. I made out with 5 books last night and I only went to the Christian section. I got some great books about missionaries in Lebanon, Jim Elliot's entire set of journals among some others.

I better leave my credit card at home when I check out the travel section... =)