a cuppa

I had afternoon tea today at the Cypress Inn in Carmel. Doris Day's hotel, a very dog friendly place to visit.

We went there to celebrate Janet's "Baby #2" aka Isabel Grace. I was able to get caught up on all the exciting news with the girls. Nobody remembered their camera, except the guest of honor, so hopefully soon I'll get some photos of today!

Congrats Jaime and Janet!

another summer day

Another Summer day at 51 degrees in Monterey. It has been so cold here! I am loving my summer more than ever before, and I am fully taking advantage of the fact that I am on vacation. Resting, reading, hanging out with friends. I can’t get enough!

My friend left last Thursday and I dropped her off at the airport and then continued to drive down to LA and then to San Bernadino County. I was able to meet with my dear friend Aaron for some lunch, catch up—and then continue on down to Rancho Cucamunga. My friend Hannah who lived with me a few summers ago came out with her family for a 3 day layover to visit Aunt Martha and Uncle Jeff. I had visited Aunt Martha and Uncle Jeff in Las Vegas, so when they invited me down, I had to go! It was a really fun time---swimming, hanging out and of course catching up! I hadn’t seen Hannah’s mom, dad or sisters since her little sister, Jess’s wedding 3 years ago!

From there I drove up to Costa Mesa and got to meet Gracie Moo. What a beautiful lovely little girl! Jaime had motherhood completely under control too! Congrats David and Jaime!

So now, after driving down to hot weather and then back up to cold, my sinuses didn’t really like that too much. I am fighting another sinus infection, but this time I am not going to do the antibiotic route! Should be slower but as long as its gone by the first day of school, I’ll be alright!

things that make you go hhmm

1. talking with people who know ( aka think they get it) see your point of view, but really have no clue. You know those people who think they get what you are trying to communicate but have missed the boat by a mile? Those conversations go no where fast!

Summer Break

People keep telling me to enjoy the season that I am in….so this summer I am doing just that! I’m being productive as well as enjoying my break, i.e., sleeping in until 10:30. But then the same people who keep telling me to enjoy the season I’m in right now—give me crap about sleeping in until 10:30. Seriously? :) Don’t be a hater. lol

I went to IKEA this week and bought a chair and a bookshelf and a lamp. I successfully put together the chair and lamp last night, but need to do the bookshelf. It should be a project but I’m ready to do it!!

Yesterday I took 3 former students to Jamba Juice and then to petsmart. All little boys who have such a difficult home life—so I gave one my number and told him to call me if he wanted to get out of his house this summer. He called on Monday night and said, “Miss Dobie can we go to Jamba Juice?”

We oooohh’d and aawww’d over every fish, snake, lizard, chinchilla and cat in the place at least 3 times before making it out the doors.

I just LOVE summer vacation! I feel like I’m on vacation every day living where I’m living!

$18

Even with a washer and dryer, my electric bill is only 18 dollars!!  YEAH!!!!

So much cheaper without quarters in my life!

once again for its beauty.

"You are My Hope"

In Your Presence Here I bow, I am aching for you now

To touch you with Your love somehow, You are my hope.

And when my hands have gotten weak, from the empty things I seek

As I crumble here, You Speak, You are my Hope

And God most high, come and be near me now.

And Draw me nigh to your heart.

God of Life, fill me with your presence now

(Where I am humble, Where I am free)

When I'm hurting for a friend, I see the marks upon your skin

And they tell me once again, You are my hope.

Closer than a brother stays, the one who holds me in His grace

Forever, Yesterday, Today, You are my hope

Who have I have in heaven but you?

And beside thee I desire, nothing on earth.

sometimes it sucks!

what a week.

I had to have a conversation with someone yesterday that I did not want to have, but needed to be had. I wanted to respond via email, but wanted to honor the person by going face to face.

it was really hard to do even though I knew God’s will needed be done—and His ways are higher than mine. I think they got it, we’ll see.

what to say!

over this last week i’ve been thinking of all the things I needed to blog about but now that I am actually typing, I have lost all of those thoughts!

I have 7.5 days of school left….super excited!

We’re making piggy banks out of paper mache at school. I am so impressed at how well they are turning out. I will try and take some pictures. They all have little feet and ears and once we do our final layer of paper mache—the pigs will be painted and put the little googly eyes on them. I am so proud of my little monkeys.

I can’t believe summer break is so soon! I feel like it could be February. I don’t know how May got here sooo quickly.

Still waiting to hear about what grade I will be teaching next year. I will be at King! yea! Only 4 out of 13 of us are able to stay and they are letting me stay. I feel really blessed and honored!

Starting a new bible study on heaven on Thursday with my girls in Salinas. I’m excited to learn more about Heaven and although Heaven is such a huge inconceivable thought to even try and wrap my mind around it, so prayerfully after the study I will be able to long for heaven like I should. To be honest, although I’m learning more and more on Wednesday nights, the unknown is scary to me. I am a black and white person who likes to be in the know.

If wetting your pants is cool---I'm Miles Davis.

A girl peed in my class today. It was so much and she just stood there. Her pants didn't even soak any of it up. I heard this flowing water sound and turned around and this little girl just was standing there and peeing. It was so much I told the kids she had a water bottle in her pants that she forgot to put the lid back on it. All the kids then shouted out--OH that's happened to me before! It was soo much. I asked her why she didn't ask to go to the bathroom, and she said that she didn't want to interrupt the class. The funny thing was that she wasn't even really embarrased. She was as shocked as I was.

Just like in Billy Madison---if wetting your pants is cool---I'm Miles Davis.

Hmm.

Got to go to Shoreline CC in Morro Bay today. Pastor Jack taught from 2 Corinthians 5. "For we know that if our earthly house is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

I'm not great at re-explaining things, but Pastor Jack also talked a lot about "Putting on vs. Putting Off" and the choice we have. As we "put on" the Lord and as we grow closer to Him, the more we want. It was awesome. It was my first time with Pastor Tonye (PT) gone--but everything was still in place that PT did---just with PJ spin on it.

We also got to sing one of my favorite worship songs that I sing regularly in the shower and in my car, so it was nice to hear it sung nicely. It's called

"You are My Hope"

In Your Presence Here I bow, I am aching for you now

To touch you with Your love somehow, You are my hope.

And when my hands have gotten weak, from the empty things I seek

As I crumble here, You Speak, You are my Hope

And God most high, come and be near me now.

And Draw me nigh to your heart.

God of Life, fill me with your presence now

(Where I am humble, Where I am free)

When I'm hurting for a friend, I see the marks upon your skin

And they tell me once again, You are my hope.

Closer than a brother stays, the one who holds me in His grace

Forever, Yesterday, Today, You are my hope

Who have I have in heaven but you?

And beside thee I desire, nothing on earth.

I was able to make it back up to CCMB for the downtown service to hear Pastor Nate teach on Marriage from Mark 10. Got tons of wonderful tips on keeping a marriage healthy--and hopefully I'll get to apply those to my life someday. As Nate said, "I'll prepare as I'm single to ready myself if I enter into marriage sometime in my life."

Good word, but truthfully, a little sick of hearing always about marriage. There are married people, but also lots of single people! I feel so strongly that it is so important to focus a lot of attention on marriage, and encourage the married folk--(because as i've seen and been told...marriage is HARD!) because of the statistics of divorce, but...

I wish some effort went into encouraging those who would not choose singleness but are trying to live their singleness in a Godly way. I think the married people forget about the time when they were single. My wish would be that they would remember.

Yes I am just being cranky and selfish. I feel like I'm prepared and ready to be a good wifey for a Godly man, but obviously God doesn't think so right now. So one day, hopefully, I will be able to put into practice the words from Mark 10.


And with that...I'm off to take the quiona (sp?) off the stovetop and head to bed! This single gal has 24 little monkeys to deal with tomorrow as well as a district walk-through, where 4 district level people walk through my classroom and grade me on my student's engagement, my direct instruction to the students, what I'm teaching/how I'm teaching it, what I'm using to use teach the kids! Thank you Jesus that summer break is in 19 days!