Bucks and Banana Slugs

We had visitors this weekend! The much anticipated visit from my brother, sister-in-law and niece finally came. They arrived Saturday afternoon after traveling over from visiting my SIL's dad near Tahoe. C and I were so excited to have them come. Tired though they may have been, my niece was all about running around at the park across from our place. She loves play structures and wasted no time at all exploring every inch of it. Later that evening the five of us headed up to San Mateo for dinner and a tour of the town. Yes, we still love it there and continue to claim it as our own. Sunday morning we took them to our favorite local restaurant, Buck's. It is a fun, eclectic place that has yummy food and they serve breakfast until 2pm on Sundays! I think they really enjoyed it and I loved walking my niece around the place looking at all the interesting objects and paraphernalia. After breakfast we headed over to my classroom so they could take a peek. My niece loved the markers...so much so that she tattooed herself with them! Once "Uncle Nunu" washed her off we headed off to the crick that flows behind my school. It is a wonderful place that I often visit with my kindergartners. Apparently my big brother had never seen a banana slug before and luckily for him there were masses of them out and about. We had a wonderful time playing and getting muddy. Soon after they were on their way to San Francisco to visit my SIL's brother. C and I stayed home and did work and homework. We had a yummy dinner together that evening and made plans for the three of them to visit me in my classroom the next day. Monday brought big excitement for me and my students. Previous to the visit, my "kiddos" had thought of the idea of writing a book for my niece. This, after hearing so much about her and the rest of the family. They were so excited to present their book to her and I think she was excited to be in the classroom meeting all of them. Recess time was spent with my niece running the playground and all the kindergartners following her lead. They loved it! All too soon the time came for them to be on their way back to southern California. I hate it when that happens. I can't wait to see them at the end of the month!!

House hunting

C and I are moving to Portland. It is a decision we have been contemplating for some time now and after much deliberation we've decided to relocate. C will be transferring to his company office there and I am in the process of looking for a new job. It was incredibly difficult to inform my co-workers that I will not be returning next year, but they are wonderfully supportive. It has been a blessing to work with amazing, caring, dedicated people for the past five years. It will be hard to come by to find another team like the one I have had. Woodside has been an incredible experience for me and it will be hard to leave. We'll see what the future holds. In any case, right now our future is in Portland and we spent this past weekend there with my cousin, Tamee, and her husband, Jason. It had been several years since the last time we'd seen each other, but from the minute they picked us up from the airport it seemed like no time had passed. They have lived in Portland for seven years and know all the best Portland has to offer. They drove us around acquainting us with the many different neighborhoods Portland has to offer. We were also able to spend several hours driving with a realtor. We didn't find a home, but we did find that Portland is a beautiful place. We found that we think we will enjoy getting to know the area and spending some time there. Unfortunately, for us, Tamee and Jason are relocating to Nashville in June. Happily we found that there are two couples that we know from college who live in the area and we're hoping to reconnect with them. We're heading back up in a couple weekends for more house hunting. We continue to pray that everything will work out and ask for your prayers as well as we take this big step in a different direction. We'll keep you posted!

Shark!

C and I have had the privilege to be in Waikiki for the past week. C had to work all week but I was lucky and got to hang out at the beach most every day. It has been a wonderful, relaxing week to say the least. C finished Thursday evening so on Friday morning he went out and did two dives. The first one was a wreck dive. He dove down 85 feet and got to look inside an old barge that had sunk. The second one was 45-50 feet down and was reef dive. I got to tag along and hang out on the boat, which was nice once I got over the motion sickness. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the beach after having a Puka dog for lunch! (These are the best veggie dogs!!) Today was one for the books! C works with someone whose niece has a boyfriend who guides shark encounters. This guy got us a great deal to go out and swim with sharks so C and I decided we'd go! There were 11 of us total. We woke up at 5:00AM to head to the north shore. All of us were moody and cold and really not sure why we had signed up for such an event on a day we all would have preferred sleeping in. By 6:30 we were on the boat and headed three miles out. The sun was just beginning to come up and the water spraying us actually felt good. It was a pleasant ride to the "shark sight." So, we didn't really know what to expect. The previous day, when C went scuba diving, we were talking to one of the dive guides and he told us we would be lucky to see a handful of sharks. He had done it a couple years ago and said it was "okay" but not worth the high cost. So we were on the boat heading to the shark sight thinking there might be a handful of sharks. We were wrong. The Shark Guys told us to peek overboard and we realized we were being followed. There were SO MANY sharks following the boat!! They were like Pavlovs dogs following their food source. They swarmed along the sides of the boat with their fins raised above the water just like in the movies. The guys dropped the shark cage and prepared it for the first group to hop in. Only six people were allowed in the "pool" so C went in with the first group. Of course he had to check it out before I was going to get in!! While you are in the shark cage you wear snorkel gear so that you can keep your head under water and see all the sharks. There are two sides with slits of plexi-glass but for the most part it is just a cage. We were given explicit orders NOT to reach outside of the cage and to keep track of all our body parts so they weren't floating outside the cage lest a shark think it was bait. As C was in the cage, I was on the boat with the other five watching the sharks swarm around. The crew threw fish into the water to keep them happy. One of the crew members thought he would be entertaining so he took a longer fish (a marlin) and slapped the water with it to get their attention. Once that happened the sharks came up to the boat, hungry! He floated the marlin on top of the water and waited. All of a sudden a 10 foot shark pops his head out of the water, mouth open, teeth glinting and chomps right down on it. I can't even begin to describe my racing heart at this point!! (Watch the video!!) Each group got about a half hour in the cage, so when the first group was finished, I got to go in!! It is quite a rush to watch these creatures swimming around you with their cat-eyes and sharp teeth. We would see the meat sinking through the water and all of a sudden a shark would rush up and chomp it down. They knocked the cage a few times fighting over the meat. It was AMAZING!! We are so glad we did it. Such an incredible, surreal experience! We spent the rest of the day relaxing and re-living the events of the morning with the rest of the group. What a day! We hope you enjoy the photos and video. We head home tomorrow...

Napa Valley Getaway

Last week Kirk and Lindsey were on vacation and drove up the California coast eventually landing in Calistoga on Wednesday. I got a phone call early in the evening with the two of them talking excitedly about how beautiful it was and that C and I should take Friday off and spend the day with them. It sounded good to me and after getting the "Okay!" from C I booked a room for the night. C was in Baltimore but we planned for me to pick him up on Thursday after I was done with work and we would drive up to the Napa Valley. Any chance to visit that area is one that we'll take!

The drive up was beautiful. For us it was like going home. We arrived in Calistoga just after 7pm and drove to Aurora Park Cottages which is where we were staying for the night. Our cottage was absolutely darling. It was quaint and perfect! If you are ever in the area, this is definitely a place I would recommend. Soon after depositing our overnight bags in the cottage we headed to Brannan's for a delicious dinner. It was hard to choose what to have with so many options but I finally chose the asparagus and polenta. Lindsey ordered the spinach and polenta, C had the steak and Kirk had fish. We spent our dinner making plans to eventually move back to the Napa Valley as we all miss and love it there. The following morning we were greeted at our door with a basket full of fruit, juice, and scones for breakfast. What a treat! Too soon it was time to pack up and we headed out to do some sightseeing. We had lunch at the famous Guigni's in St. Helena and soon after we headed back to Redwood City in hopes of making a matinee (which we did). Saturday was kind of a gloomy day but we took a walk to Chuck's donuts for our almost traditional donuts and coffee/hot chocolate. Later on in the afternoon we decided to brave the weather and have a barbecue at Huddart Park. Lindsey and I enjoyed watching C and Kirk attempt to light the briquettes in order to cook their chicken breast and our Grillers. After many failed attempts Lindsey saved the day by asking a nearby group if we could borrow their lighter fluid! The weather got colder and colder as we stood their waiting for our food to cook and after all but inhaling it we packed up quickly and headed back home. Sunday, after a visit from Janet and Brandon, everyone was on their way back home and C and I were left feeling happy and blessed.

Happy Valentine's....er, I mean St. Patrick's Day!

Thought you might enjoy this short clip of my classroom after having been visited by Murphy the Woodside Kindergarten leprechaun.

The heart of an angel

There is a 4th grade boy at the school where I teach who is nothing short of a hero. His story will warm your heart. I have known his family for four years and had the privilege of teaching his younger sister and brother. This little boy has the heart of an angel. It just goes to show how even just one person can make an incredible difference.

http://web.mac.com/benwerdegar/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

Pausing...

This week has been an incredibly hectic week. Balancing the demands of a full time job, fulfilling my Masters requirements and the obligations I have at home has taken it's toll and I am exhausted! Oh yeah, and the unnecessary time change didn't help either. Now, that aside, I have to say that I have been blessed the most wonderful, supportive, dedicated, understanding (I could go on and on) husband a girl could ask for. All week long he has cooked, cleaned, washed, dried, folded, vacuumed, organized, filed, emptied, listened, hugged, shopped, advised, supported.....he's amazing!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to fly down and visit with my biggest brother, my sister-in-law and my two-year-old niece in Southern California. The weather was gorgeous and provided us with the opportunity to be outside a lot. My "SIL" is very skilled and crafty and spent Saturday morning building a potting bench for their garden oasis on the front porch. I was, to say the least, impressed by her handiwork. It's beautiful! I could definitely learn a thing or two about "green thumbness" from her. I also give her big kudos for dressing up like a matador for a work event, although I have yet to see the proof of such acts. *hint, hint*
While she was working away, my brother, niece and I headed to the nearby park. The swings, slides, bikes, balls, dogs and other kids provided all kinds of excitement! Shortly after our park visit, "mom" and "dad" got to have some alone time while niece and Auntie got to spend some quality time together and joined by my father-in-law. The next day we got to go to DISNEYLAND! It was bright and sunny and the crowds were out! It is such a different experience when visiting Disneyland with a two year old, but it was so FUN! My favorite moments were when I would watch her eyes light up and see the smiles that would shortly follow. The day passed by far too quickly and before I knew it the time had come to board the plane and head home. C picked me up and too me home to an immaculately clean apartment. He had told me he'd be busy all weekend, and he certainly was! Now another week is over and we are finally given some time to relax at home and hopefully catch up on some other things that haven't gotten done yet. Have a great weekend everyone! Wear green on Monday....or watch out for leprechauns that might pinch you!