Big Sur Vacation- June 17-22

The week after school got out was a week C and I had been looking forward to for a long time. We both were excited for the opportunity to rest and relax for an entire week! Our travel plans weren't really plans at all because neither one of us really had time to plan a vacation! Eventually we decided we would maybe travel up the coast and stay somewhere along the beach for the week, but just about that time one of my parents offered for us to stay at their home in Big Sur. Little did she know she was our saving grace. We were both elated! Neither of us had ever spent any time in Big Sur, just driven through, and we were so excited to have the opportunity. We spent a couple days in Huntington Beach with family, a night with Grandma Gail in Camarillo, and then headed up the coast to Big Sur. The drive was breathtaking as we zig-zagged up the 101 and then HWY 1 closer to the ocean. We stopped for lunch at the quaint little town of San Luis Obispo and continued on until we reached Big Sur. The place we stayed was a darling guest house just down the road from the main house. It sat right at the edge of a cliff and looked out over the ocean. It was a slice of heaven. Each day was spent lounging around on the deck reading and studying. C was able to work on some projects he had been meaning to get to for quite a while. We ate our meals at the local bakery and restaurants and became acquainted with several members of the community. We hiked around the property, gathered fresh fruit from the garden, toured the new guest house that was being built, climbed down the side of the cliff to the private beach, collected seashells, and relaxed, relaxed, relaxed. Our vacation was unforgettable! The unfortunate part of our trip happened on Saturday when lightening hit the mountain near-by. We saw the lightening strike and soon after, the smoke began to rise. As we walked along the beach that afternoon we watched the helicopters moving in and out of the smoke and sucking up water from nearby ponds and the ocean. Soon neighbors began to arrive and together we stood and watched the smoke come closer and closer. That evening we ate at Nepenthe, a restaurant just a few miles south of us and while we ate watched helicopters filling up right in front of us. We tried to drive further south but a road block was already set, just five miles south of us. The next morning we headed down the mountain from the house to get some breakfast only to find the restaurants had been evacuated and the road block had been moved closer. We drove back up to the house to have breakfast there and begrudgingly began to pack and clean for our departure. When the time came for us to head out we found the road block had been moved once again to just south of our road. The billow of smoke was getting bigger and closer. It was sad to leave and we, of course, were worried for the community there. We were happy to hear that the fire was finally out after burning for over four weeks and thousands of acres. The home we stayed in was left unharmed, thankfully the fire never jumped to the west side of HWY 1.

Surprise!

C and I had been planning for a while to go down south for Father's Day weekend. Little did he know that I (along with Danielle) had also been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for he and Andy! Andy turned 30 in February and C will turn 30 in October, so we figured we were pretty safe that they wouldn't have a clue....and we were right! C and I left very early Saturday morning and made it to Huntington Beach right about brunch time. After brunch with Roland and Daniel, the boys left for the indoor racetrack while I met up with Danielle, Janet and Lindsey to prepare for the beach party. Kirk had been planning a "Father's Day Adventure" for the sons and dads to keep C and Andy busy for the better part of the afternoon. Meanwhile, Danielle and I ran around town picking up decorations, food, and balloons. If only the weather had complied... By the time the guests began arriving the last of the balloons had already flown away and the wind was unceasing. But, it was a wonderful evening spent with family and friends and as C put it "The best surprise birthday party I ever could have imagined!!" I'm so glad! :)

Last day of school...

Today was my last day at Woodside Elementary. I have had a wonderful 5 years teaching there and it was sad to say good-bye. We saved the tears for the end of day and spent the rest of the day singing and dancing and playing field games. The kindergartners enjoyed every minute of it, as did the teachers. I am so blessed to have many happy memories of and with the children, parents, and my teammates. The community of parents and teachers have all been incredibly supportive and encouraging and wished us well on our new adventure in Portland. We'll see what awaits us! (The photo is of my team! L-R Tina, Tracy, me, Stacy and Sonja)

A visit from Babe and Dad

One of the most highly anticipated events of the spring was a visit from my little brother and my dad. First came Bret and Jessica. They began their vacation in San Diego where Bret was in a friend's wedding. After spending a few nights with Chad, they flew up to be with C and me for a few days. Unfortunately, it was a busy time for me with classes, work and Open House, but we made it work. They were able to see San Francisco and tour around the Napa Valley and Bret was even my Surprise Reader at school one day! We loved having them here and too soon it was time for them to go. We drove them to Southern California on Memorial Day weekend. Dad was already at Chad and Kelly's and it was the weekend of Kirk's Medical School graduation. I got to spend Saturday with my family while C spent the day with his. On Monday we picked up Dad and headed north. On the way we stopped at Pea Soup Andersen's, a fun stop we often make on our trips to and from So. Cal. Daddy even got a little silly with me and took a photo at the cut-outs. The week was a whirlwind, but we had a wonderful time! Dad visited my classroom several times and was able to meet my kids, co-workers, principal, superintendent, parents...he met them ALL! He visited the crick behind my school and also came to be Surprise Reader, except I talked him into telling a story instead. The kids LOVED it! Dad also had the opportunity to explore San Francisco, drive up to the Napa Valley and PUC to visit Aunt Shirley, and to explore the area around where we live as well. C and I took Thursday off to drive dad around on an excursion. We started at Alice's, the famed restaurant on the mountain. From there we drove the windy road down to the ocean and Half Moon Bay. It's a beautiful little coastal town that has many cute shops and cafes. We spent the afternoon walking up and down Main Street and in and out of all the little shops. It was a perfect afternoon! On our way back we took dad to our favorite running trail, Sawyer Camp Trail. It was fun to show him a spot where we have spent numerous hours running and walking. The rest of the week was spent relaxing and catching up. We went to Mountain View Adventist Church and were able to see some of dad's friends that he hadn't seen in years. Sunday came far too quickly and it was time to say "Good-bye!" as he hopped on a plane headed back to So. Cal. to spend a few more days with Chad's family. What a wonderful time for us! Let's do it again soon!!

And now it's "Dr. Kirk Anderson!"

This weekend the Anderson and Potts families and friends gathered together to celebrate Kirk's graduation from Loma Linda Medical School. He is now on his way to beginning a six year residency program through Loma Linda. His wife, Lindsey, is beginning her fourth year of dental school at Loma Linda. Such an exciting time! It took a lot of hard work and dedication. Kirk, we're so proud of you and we love you!

Two big events packed into one weekend!

It all began Saturday evening. C and I were preparing for one of the biggest nights of the year at WES- the Grand Auction! This is the event where people go to see and be seen. It is fun, awe-inspiring and entertaining. We have gone every year since I first began to work there, but C has never stayed for the dinner part, only the cocktail hour. Being that it is my last year we decided to go for it and stay through the evening. The theme was "Roaring 20's Jazz." I love the roaring 20's fashion and music and wanted to go all out. Lucky for me, my friend Andrea had the perfect flapper dress for me to wear. All I needed was a wig, some fishnet stockings and bright red lipstick. C decided to go gangster, which led us to a tiny little costume shop in Palo Alto. It was there that he found his pin-stripe pants, suspenders and fedora. My three co-workers and I had volunteered to be the greeters for the evening. We considered this to be the best job as we would get to see everyone as they arrived. Our duties entailed greeting and passing out bidder numbers. While I was "working", C wandered around looking at the various items up for bid. The auction is the largest fund raiser for our school. There is a silent auction early in the evening where people place a sticker to bid on a variety of things like class treasures, afternoons with the teacher, or homemade cookies once a month. The live auction happens later in the evening during dinner. That part gets a little raucous- but it's great fun! This is when you hold up your bidding number and wave it around with all your might to bid on things like vacations to Hawaii, a personal parking space at the school, or wine cellar hopping. My polenta dinner was delicious and C seemed to enjoy the fillet mignon as well. We sat with several of my co-workers, which made it all the more fun. We bid several times, but were outbid before the auctioneer even noticed our numbers in the air! I don't know the final number quite yet, but I know they raised a significant amount of money that will benefit the school in the coming year. The costumes, the bidding, the food and dancing were spectacular!
We didn't stay out too late because the next morning we had to be up at the crack of dawn for the 97th annual 7.5 mile Bay to Breakers run! My friend, Andrea, drove down from St. Helena to join us. We arrived just in time to join the 60, 000+ runners. This is one of my favorite runs, simply because it is so much fun! The miles pass by so quickly and before you know it, it's already the end. Runners run in costumes, nothing, or normal clothing- whatever. There are bands playing along the street, people blaring music from their home stereos and others line the route to cheer you on. If you're ever in the area or have the opportunity to be in the area on the third Sunday in May, take time to join in the fun and festivities. We ran a good pace and finished in 1 hr. 18 min. The guy who won ran it in 34 minutes....the woman who won ran it in 39 minutes. They were done before we even got started! They really missed out! The race begins at the Bay Bridge and takes you through the city and you end at the breakers, the beach. The only part that is less than ideal is the walk back through Golden Gate Park to the bus that takes you back to the starting point. Other than that, it's a great morning. The added bonus is that you can spend the rest of the day sitting on the couch watching movies and eating popcorn without any guilt!

Our new hometown- Portland

This weekend found us once again in Portland. Tamee and Jason graciously invited us to stay with them even amidst their process of packing. We arrived Saturday morning and went straight to work compiling lists of homes we wanted to look at. We spent several hours driving around picking up fliers and driving around neighborhoods, convinced this would be the trip that would lead us to our future home. Tamee and Jason allowed us the use of their car, which was incredibly helpful. We drove ALL OVER in preparation to meet with our realtor. Sunday morning, which also happened to be Mother's Day, we met up with some friends, Heidi and Tim, for brunch. Heidi was actually in Christian's class all through elementary and high school. I met her in college where she met and married Tim. They have lived in the Portland area for several years now and love it! We had a nice time reacquainting ourselves with them while walking around downtown. We had high hopes of visiting more homes, but our realtor was called away on a family emergency, so we were left on our own. That afternoon was the "Good-bye" party for Tamee and Jason and we were happy to be able to attend. We enjoyed meeting several of their friends and extended family. C and I are both very sad they will be moving away. They are two incredibly wonderful people! On Monday, I had the opportunity (thanks to Tamee!!) to tour OHSU. Tamee works for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation there and knows everyone! She introduced me to a couple of people who were very helpful and took the time to show me around the children's hospital; particularly the school and playrooms. All very interesting to me. Later on in the morning we were able to connect with our realtor who took us around to several places. In the end, we had a pretty depressing feeling after not finding anything to get real excited about. I know it takes time, but with so much available we were really hoping we would find something...anything! The search continues! We flew home in low spirits but we keep praying that we find a good house that we can make home.