Graduation!

I did it!  This last year was really tough and the master's degree was a big part of that.  I am so excited to have finished my degree and to now be able to just focus on what I learned and put it into my teaching.  My official graduation date was May 8, 2013!

Engagement!

     For spring break this year, Anthony and I were able to go back to Canon Beach again for a weekend trip.  The weather was actually pretty horrible this year so we were not able to get too many pictures.  It was pretty cool though because the sand was blowing on the beach and looked like how the desert does in movies.  It rained often, but we did find a few times where the weather was okay.  We were able to enjoy our evening fires this year and were able to stay warm despite the wet and wind.  The sun even peeked out every so often.  The last day we ate breakfast at one of the restaurants that is right on the beach looking over Haystack Rock.  Looking out at the ocean I thought it looked really close and further in than usual, but I figured it was just my different view.  After breakfast I wanted to peak at the ocean one more time, so we walked down the road that goes to the beach.  This is that little paved stretch by the Surfsand Resort.  As we were getting close to the beach I saw the stream that runs to the ocean and suddenly I see a wave of water rush up over the stream and spill onto the road!  I thought oh my goodness the ocean is close!  It seemed safe so we ventured a peek around the storm wall and sure enough, the front waves were almost all the way up to the storm wall!  I had never seen a storm like that at the beach before.  I wish I had been able to get a picture.  Here is a picture of me earlier in the trip pretending the wind is blowing me away.  It was strong enough you could lean into a little bit and not fall.

     Anthony and I had talked about getting married after he graduated, which is coming up soon, so I was starting to figure and hope that he would ask me sometime in the near future.  I was thinking that he may choose Canon Beach, but didn't know for sure.  I was kind of hoping and had an inkling.  Once we were at the beach I thought he seemed nervous at times.  Well, not quite nervous, I could just tell he was thinking and I was hoping that it was for a good reason!  The weather was so horrible and the wind so strong that it made it hard to find a good place that was also semi-private.  I remember finding some nice spots every now and then and making comments to Anthony, oh, this is a nice spot, hoping he had a ring in wait and was looking for a good spot.  Hehe, actually I don't think I told him that was why I kept saying that.  He just thought I liked the spot we found to sit or see the ocean.  Finally on Saturday, we got some nice weather and went to Ecola State Park.  Anthony was hoping for Sun Set's like we had last year, but it was still a pretty nice day even if not super clear and sunny.  While there we took pictures and looked around.  A park ranger, whom I calling the Engagement Fairy, told us how to get down to a private beach area we had never been for.  The hike was a little muddy, but then it opened up to a small beach where the tide was out enough you could climd down and walk around a bit.  We stood on a ledge looking out at the light house and rocks when a sun beam bursts through the clouds on us and Anthony took the moment to ask me!  He pulled the ring out, asked me, and I said yes and put the ring right on my finger!  I guess I was supposed to wait for him to do that, but I was too excited!  We stayed at the beach spot for awhile and watched the ocean before heading back.

Here are some of the few pictures from the trip:

                                                  Me chilling in the cabin.

                                                        Making funny faces at the camera.

                                                        Anthony's turn!

                                                             Pro funny-face maker.

                                                       Not too stormy for the camera today!

                                                                 On the beach....

                                                                 Haystack Rock

                                                            Haystack and her little sisters...

                                                                 Anthony on the beach.

         All bundled up either right before or after Anthony asked me....I look sleepy...hard mattress....

                                                                Tillamook Lighthouse

                                       Our private beach, can you tell the sun is out a little?

                                                                        Seagull

                                                              Path to the small beach.

                                                Trying to get good picture with the ring.

                                               Another try....

                                               Just being silly now.........

                                             Someone was nice enough to take our picture!

                                This pictured blurred in a cool way to make my ring look extra sparkly!

      Playing around again.  I am supposed to be debating my answer to Anthony while I try to ring on.

On our way home at Multnomah Falls for our annual cave picture.

Cooking

For Christmas Mom bought me a cook book from Weight Watchers called "Power Foods Cookbook." I have been working at trying to eat healthy and had even joined weight watchers in September, so it was the perfect gift. I have tried several of the recipes so far and I have loved every single one! I have been so impressed, that I keep forgetting to take pictures of my cooked creations before I eat them up! I thought I would share pictures from the book to give you an idea of the food. Over the last few weeks I haven't been able to cook any new or fancy recipes, so I am excited to get back to cooking!

The recipes that I have tried so far are:
*Maple Lemon Fruit Parfaits with Yogurt
*Cheese and Black Bean Nachos
*Vietnamese Pork Summer Rolls
*Quick Chicken Carnitas
*Cod with Roasted Tomatoes and Green Olives
*Spanish Chickpea, Tomato, and Kale Stew
*Turkey Scaloppini and Mushroom Sauce

The recipes I hope to try next are:
*Middle Eastern Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
*Crab and Quinoa Salad

I am going to put pictures from some of the recipes below and some pictures of me cooking the Spanish Chickpea, Tomato, and Kale Sauce.

Study break!

So, what was going on in the basement you ask? Well see below?..I worked so hard! I uhh, well, I did two scoops myself :-p The basement is being framed and now getting ready to set plumbing for the new bathroom!

Two More Weeks!!!

In two more weeks I will have finished this crazy two months of working overtime! I have grown really attached to the students I have been working with, but it will be nice to have my life back. I have been working a good 55 to 70 plus hours a week during these last few months split between my different jobs and master's school. This is why I haven't been able to keep up with everyone too much. So, how do i work so many hours you ask? Well, this is what i have been doing: My days start by arriving at my first school around 7:20 in the morning for before school orchestra. I was working on getting a concert prepared that we actually performed last Tuesday evening. I have two more concerts next week including a kinder musical and a big district wide concert the last week of March. At 8:30 I send the students off and make my dangerous journey through not one, but two school parking lots! If you have not been in an elementary school parking lot before or after school recently, well, there are a place of pure terror. I drive to my next school and arrive just in time to have five minutes to get my computer logged in, iTunes open with all of my music for the day(panic sets in when iTunes looses all of my music), get the classroom heat going - bad heating system - and have call classroom materials ready. I teach the full school day at this school. After school gets out i madly put my stuff away and clear the classroom for the after school orchestra that meets at that school. I do another run between two more school parking lots for my after school orchestra group. This is yet another very dangerous part of the day. I have had several close calls with speeding vehicles and blind corners from cars parked in the road and not even in a spot. I teach the after school group and once the last student is picked up I get to go home.....well on some days. On the nights that there are school concerts I don't necessarily get to go home. Wednesdays I go straight to flute lessons and teach until 9:00 at night. Thursdays I get to go home for a quick dinner before heading back out for flute lessons or symphony rehearsals. Now that the symphony is prepping for the concert, I also head out Friday nights and Saturday mornings. Some Saturdays I head back into school to catch up on planning, move furniture and set the stage for performances. This weekend Saturday, the entire day is for the symphony since we have a concert. We are doing a special second concert on Sunday too. Then, after all that, I try to get it at least a hour of studying for my masters exams with a full day usually devoted on the weekends. Luckily, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and will be back to a normal work day soon! I feel like I should be a billionaire, well at least bringing home big bucks for all this work. I hear that is what those rich folks do, they work this many hours, but it still doesn't seem to be panning out for me. I am just hoping that I get to keep working for my school in the future. It's a good school and district, so hopefully this will help me stay there.

On to some fun pictures:

Spring has come a little early here....

And why am I not studying right now, you ask? We worked extra hours to do conferences earlier in the week and got to come home early today! Gasp!

So, why am I not studying? Well, Anthony is doing something with a jack hammer in the last picture, but you will have to wait for more. And yes, he asked if it was okay because he does know I need to study. I could use an afternoon after this crazy schedule!

2012 Photo Highlights