A few pictures from my camera of Dallas Divide on the way home from work today...

And a few from Jeremy's camera...

Updates...

It has been a crazy month of September! The first week of teaching (which is always crazy) gave way to a frenzy of assessment in the classroom, along with Open House on only the eighth day of school and the first round of parent/teacher conferences on only the 15th day. It was a whirlwind to say the least! I was also anxious to get some of the other school things out of the way just so I could get them checked off my list and settle in. Therefore, I've already completed my peer observation (to be finished by 11/20) and my formal observation which had to be completed by my principal before December. Not to mention our first field trip (see pictures above). Calmness and relaxation can now begin... ;)

This weekend Jer and I headed to Denver to visit friends and family, as well as begin the process of getting my bridal gown fitted. It was kind of fun to put it back on and pretend to be a princess! They ended up only having to hem the bottom (nearly four inches) and put in the items needed to bustle the train. I'll head back in about a month to try it on again and make sure everything was done correctly.

Fall officially began last Monday and the mountains are definitely starting to show it. The colors are almost at peak: yellows, golds, reds, and bruning oranges. Our plan is to stop on the way home this week and snap some shots. I'll post them when I get a chance.

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year! Love Ya!

The first week of my fifth year of teaching…

It started out better than in the past, with a fairly good night’s sleep before the first day with kids. This was a good sign… On day one, however, I found that I had not quite mentally prepared myself for the vast change I was facing in my kids. I LOVE looping, but one of the hardest things to deal with is that in June you send off your kids to third grade reading, writing paragraphs, and following directions. Two and half months later your faced with 16 little one who can barely write their names, maybe read some very simple sentences, and absolutely cannot follow more than one step directions! I was in shock the first day, but things went MUCH better for the rest of the week.

All that being said, I had a WONDERFUL first week of school! My kids are incredibly sweet and sooooo little! When compared to my kids from the last two years (who are now in third grade) they’re only half the size! I do miss the others, but they have been stopping by before and after school to talk and attacking me with hugs in the hallway and at recess. It’s nice to feel loved…

Once again, I have sixteen students in my class, eight girls and eight boys. They are all very sweet with few behavior issues other than talkativeness. And who can blame them? Even I find myself wanting to delve into each of their very interesting personalities! I can’t wait to learn more about them and see how much they grow in the next two years! Hope everyone is having a great end to summer/beginning of fall!

Sequoia National Park

After a few days on the beach, Jeremy and I met up with some friends of his and spent a few days camping and exploring Sequoia National Park. The trees which give the park its name are literally thousands of years old! They stretch hundreds of feet into the air and can be 20-30 feet in diameter. Amazing!

Laguna Beach

This morning we drove approximately 4.5 hours from Vegas to San Clemente, CA. After arriving at Jeremy's friends' house we spent some time shopping at IKEA and Trader Joe's. Then we drove back via the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). It was beautiful! Below are a few pictures of Laguna Beach...



Jeremy has a collection of pictures showing his feet throughout his travels. I thought these would add another dimension...

Vegas

An average of 105-110 degrees on the strip made for some extremely long walks in the last few days... Luckily you can get from one end to the other by walking inside casinos and get air conditioning for almost half of the 2 mile stretch! We gambled a bit, but lost less than $25 between the two of us. We spent the majority of our time at the pool, walking, and eating good food.
A few of Jeremy's pics...

Relishing in the last few days of summer...

With only fourteen days of summer left, Jeremy and I have been enjoying our new home. Relaxing the days away and getting in some walks in the few dry hours each day. It is definitely rainy season (maybe even monsoon season) here in the San Juans. I almost couldn't make it home from school on Thursday due to water pouring onto the road, bringing mud and rocks with it. Luckily they've been doing a pretty good job of cleaning it up. That is until today, when Jeremy bent a rim by hitting a very large rock. It's very hard to see them coming up when you're behind a UPS truck! Luckily it's only a few hundred dollars to replace the rim and there was no apparent damage to any other part of the car. Jeremy had the tire changed within 15 minutes and we weren't even late for his meeting at school!

We have decided to head out on a road trip tomorrow morning. Our first stop is Vegas for three days; then the west coast to rest on a beach for three days. Finally, we'll wrap it all up in Sequoia National Park camping with some friends. After that it's officially time to head back to school.

Pictures of our trip coming soon!