A Long Time Coming

So, it has been a while since I have written. I'm not sure if a lot has happened or if I have just been keeping busy with nothing. School has been out since the end of May, but I have been working in my class almost every Monday-Friday morning. I had to move classrooms for the 3rd time in 5 years of teaching :) The classroom I got to move into needed a lot of TLC. I had to clean it all out, paint, and move my stuff in. It is finally beginning to feel like "my room" and I am looking forward to a new year.

In June, my mom, sister-in-law, her mom, and I all made a road trip to Portland and Seattle. We had a wonderful time shopping, talking, and shopping some more. I stayed in the Seattle area (Puyallup to be exact) and extra 4 days to spend some time with Stephanie and Ava. It was so great to get to watch Ava while Steph worked. Steph and I also got to spend a day together; that was wonderful. I am looking forward to Tim, Steph, and Ava visiting in a couple weeks.

I also got a puppy in June. Her name is Paisley. She is a goldendoodle (golden retriever/poodle mix). I think she is pretty darn cute. Some disagree. She is doing well as far as training goes, but it has definitely been challenging at times.

This last week I got to spend 5 days with 18 girls from Nampa Christian. We went to NBC (Northwest Basketall Camp) in LaGrande. It was a long week, but it was also fun. The girls were wonderful. I am looking forward to what this next basketball season holds for us.

Now I am back in Nampa and keeping myself busy training for another 1/2 marathon, doing crossfit, working at school, spending time with my puppy, spending time with my boyfriend, friends, and family, tutoring, babysitting, and trying to enjoy some sunshine.

A Spring Break I Will Never Forget

I got the joy, privilege, honor, and opportunity to spend my Spring Break in Puyallup, Washington with my best friend, her husband, and baby girl. Tim and Steph asked me to come and care for their little girl for a whole week. This would be Steph's 2nd week back at school. I said, "yes", without hesitation. I would never pass up an opportunity to see them and spend some time with that precious baby.

From Monday to Friday it was me and the baby from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Here are some highlights of my trip. 1. Each time I would wake her up from her nap, I would recieve the biggest, best smile anyone could ask for. 2. She loved kisses, and by the end of my time there, gave me the best slobbery kiss ever. 3. The way she would giggle and blow raspberries. 4. Our daily walks together. All bundled up with cool sunglasses and hats. 5. Late night and early morning talks with Steph. 6. Each and every minute of my trip.

It was so hard to say goodbye, knowing that it would be another 4 months before I would see them again. I thought I was holding it together until Steph started crying at the airport. I tried to pull it together before I got to the ticket counter, but it was no use. I think the ticket lady thought that something was wrong. I then got a couple strange looks from the people at the security checkpoint. It is so nice to have such wonderful friends that touch your life each time you are with them...near or far. I love them all so much.

Here are some photos of my time in Puyallup. Her auntie Alyssia really loves her :)

Precious Little One

Ready for a walk

Aunt Alyssia sharing kisses

The Things Kids Say

So, at school today the kids had to write a letter to a special relative. As I took their letters home to read, I was so pleased with the work they did. Kids really can say the sweetest things. Here are a few of their letters.

To David - "I got a game of Scarface. I love it. I love the baby girl" - he is talking about his little baby girl cousin that was just born about a month ago. :)

Dear Kyle - "You are my favorite cousin."

Dear Matthew - "When it's summer and we have grass, we can play soccer, football, and baseball." (a letter to his brother)

Dear grandpa and grandma - "I love you grandpa and grandma. I hope you are doing good. I wish you could be with me."

Dear Uncle John and Aunt Tressa - "I love you. You are my good uncle and aunt."

To Nicolas - "I love you. Get well soon. I got a new toy called an Omitrix from Ben 10. I hope you get to go home soon." (a letter to his cousin who is in the hospital)

Dear mom and dad - "In school I have been learning about Indian gods. They worshipped totum poles. On them were pictures of animals and other gods."

These are the times that I remember why I am a teacher. Kids can truly be a blessing.

Basketball Champions!

So, my life has been basketball, basketball, basketball since the beginning of November. It was a challenging year of coaching this year, due to the fact that I only had 5 girls that could play all 4 quarters and I had to borrow 1 girl from the JV team as a sub each quarter. My girls were absolutely amazing and rose to exceed the challenge. We were 3rd place heading into the tournament and ending up being League Champions. I am so glad I had the opportunity to coach such a great group of girls. We had a blast together and I think we all grew in many ways. What a way to end our season...CHAMPIONS!!!

Has It Been That Long?

For those of you who do read my blog, sorry it has been so long. Life has been extremely busy for me. Between teaching 1st grade, coaching freshman/sophomore girls' basketball, and trying to spend time with the boyfriend, friends, and family, it seems I have very little time left.

School is going well for the most part. I have dealt with a couple of challenges, but I hope that things continue to get better. I am very fortunate to have a principal that supports me and some great friends that let me work through my thoughts. I do love my class, and we have some great fun together. You may be able to tell by the pics.

If you are wondering about the alligator, she is Alli, our class pet. (I enjoy not having to clean up after her)

As for coaching, I have enjoyed it, but I am ready to have a less hectic schedule for a while. Would you believe that I had 16 high school girls at my house for an all-nighter about a week and a half ago? Well, I did and I got a whopping 2 1/2 hours of sleep. My bed even got stolen by 2 of the girls. Very tiring, but memories I will not forget. My girls have had a successful season so far and it looks like we will make it into the end of the season tournament. I have 5 girls that play full time for me and 4 girls that play a quarter or two each game. They have all been wonderful to work with and I am blessed that they work so hard for me. We will see how our season ends, as tournament is this weekend.

As for my personal life, things are great. Ryan is absolutely wonderful and I can't believe it has almost been 8 months. I am so blessed! My family is doing well and I enjoy all the time that we can spend together.