A couple of things...

I love it when I find a gift card I forgot I had. I found an It's a Grind gift card in my purse a couple of weeks ago when I was cleaning it out. I assumed there was a buck or two left on it since it wasn't in any special place in my wallet. I usually keep things like loaded gift cards in a certain spot in my wallet. I walked into It's a Grind this afternoon, needing a little pick me up, and handed my gift card to the girl at the counter. I told her I wasn't sure what was on it so she said, "No problem," and swiped the card. After my purchase I had over $14 still on the card. Sweet! I have emergency It's a Grind $$$ when I get to go back to work.

Dr. Scholl is my feet's lifesaver! I bought a pair of cute black shoes that I can wear with slacks last week. Kyle and I had an event to attend Saturday night, so I thought that would be the perfect time to break them in. I figured this was a sit-down sort of deal so there wouldn't be a whole lot of walking. My flat feet don't handle new shoes very well the first time around, especially if they aren't sneakers. Well, let's just say there was A LOT more walking than had been anticipated and by the end of the evening, my feet were screaming at me. I was a little annoyed because I figured if my feet were this sore after one evening, there would be no way my feet would survive a day at work in these shoes. *sigh* So, today I went to Target and picked up some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts. "Aaahhhhhhh!" (Heavenly choir of angels singing) I could run around all day in these shoes now!

And now for something stupid:

I bought a curling iron today as well. The one I had been using kept shutting off on it's own. New curling irons usually come with warning tags that often say something to the effect of "Do not use while bathing." or "Do not use while sleeping." I was always amused by these warnings because someone (and it's usually more than just one person's stupidity to constitute a warning label) had to have done these things and gotten injured. My new iron had a new warning label which read "Caution: This product can burn eyes." ?????? Really?

A Summer Reflection

It has been requested that I write a new blog since my last entry is dated in May. You could say a lot has happened to me since that last blog. I finished an amazing school year with some of the best students I've had so far. I had a fun summer that started out with an awesome trip to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in my cousin Olivia's wedding. That was a blast! I got to spend a lot of time with my wonderful boyfriend of almost two years now. And, I was in a horrible car wreck that I still refuse to call an accident.

I learned a lot about myself this summer. I'll write on the other topics at a later time, but my trip back east definitely made a mark. Traveling with 40 teens and parents across the country with little sleep and lots of moving pushed me to some limits by the end for sure, but it was a trip I will remember for the rest of my life and I hope the kids were as impacted by it as I was. Having been a kid who took this trip in middle school, I can assure you that I got more out of it the second time around as an adult, but there were definitely some moments that I know left a wrinkle or two in their brains.

There were so many things that made me ponder this amazing country we live in. All of the monuments and memorials of great people and leaders; the things they stood for and fought for really gave me a deeper appreciation for what this country is supposed to represent. I really think the current leaders in Washington ought to take a spin around the capital building to all of the monuments and reflect on who they are there for and what they set out to accomplish with this country.

There were many highlights of this trip between the museums, especially the Newseum and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Statue of Liberty, and the Washington Monument, but my favorite part was seeing Wicked on Broadway. I loved it, but what made it even more special were the students (who all know how much I love the show) who were so awestruck by the performance and the message. It made me proud to be a Drama teacher.

Wicked

Saturday night I finally got to do what I have been waiting almost 4 years to do. I got to see Wicked!! I have been planning for this night since I heard the show was coming back to San Francisco and it was an amazing night.

Mom, Dad, Kyle's moms, Kyle, and I went together. Kyle's mom arranged for a limo to pick us up in Hayward, a brilliant idea on Barb's part. I never look forward to driving in the city so this was awesome! We were picked up promptly at 4:00 pm, but not before Barb realized I had given her their tickets months ago and she couldn't find them. It's all good though, because our big panic happened early in the evening and ended quickly with the tickets being exactly where they were supposed to be.

We were whisked away by our wonderful limo driver to the Cliff House at Ocean Beach. We were seated right away at a table with a beautiful albeit gray view of the ocean. The water was rough, and the temperature was cold, but the restaurant was warm, bright, and pleasantly bustling which made the view that much more spectacular since we were glad we weren't on one of the little boats being tossed around on the water a couple of miles out.

I recommend our waiter, Michael to anyone who visits the Cliff House. He was very attentive, knowledgeable, and fun. He and the rest of the staff were quick and, but not so fast that we felt rushed. I had delicious Dungeness Crab Cakes to start, Bay Sea Scallops with English peas (never had those before - they were tasty) for my main dish and shared Banana Walnut Bread Pudding with Kyle for dessert. After two hours, six appetizers, six entrees, four desserts, two bottles of wine, and a very LARGE bill :) we were on our way to see the show!

I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve the whole ride to the Orpheum. We couldn't get there fast enough. We pulled up with perfect timing, ten minutes to show time! We made our way through the crowd to our second row loge seats and the show started right on time. Our seats were almost perfect, a little to far to the side, but we could see everything easily. From the moment the Time Dragon Clock started shaking and the orchestra hit that first note, I was sucked in. I wanted to cry for the first ten minutes I was so happy. I couldn't believe I was finally seeing the show.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed to see "stand by" next to Elphaba's actress's name (Dee Roscioli), but was blown away by how good she was that I had a hard time believing that the main actress would be any better. Her high notes seemed effortless. I was mesmerized by the whole show. Kendra Kassebaum, who played Glinda, was a total spaz at times but endearing and I really enjoyed her in that part. All of the characters were exactly as I had hoped they would be, although I thought Patty Duke as Madame Morrible could have done a bit better.

The evening flew by but I enjoyed every minute of it. I had so much fun with everyone and was especially glad that I got to share this experience with my parents. I really hope Kyle enjoyed it as much as he says he did. I meant a lot to me to have him, his moms and my parents there. This experience will stay with me for a very long time. I can't wait to see it in New York in a couple of weeks! It'll be by charter bus, but it WILL be BROADWAY!!! Though I can't imagine it topping our evening of Wicked in San Francisco.

Grandparents

More and more everyday, I realize how lucky I am that the three grandparents I have left are in good health and still able to get around pretty well. Most of the people I know that are my age have either lost all of their grandparents or their grandparents are no longer able to take care of themselves.

I lost my Grandpa Gus in 1996 from complications to his cancer recovery, but Grandma Mary, Grandpa Manuel, and Grandma Rachel are all still here and I am so thankful that I can still visit with them (although I don't visit with them as often as I would like to) and talk to them about what's new. Grandpa is turning 80 next month, which is so hard to believe. For me, he stopped aging in his 60's. Grandmas did too. I know they aren't going to be around forever, none of us are, but I'm glad I still have them around right now.

Swearing Update

End of Day 4 of Project No More Swearing and I have yet to have a completely successful day but dang it, I'm trying. I am much better at watching my mouth at work because my surroundings help dictate the language I use, and since I am surrounded by minors with conservative parents I have an easier time of holding back my language. However, lunchtime at school is usually a different story since most of us around our lunch table usually let colorful adjectives fly without a second thought, but since I am at work, I still have an easier time of holding back. Now at home, that's been a lot harder. I am swearing a lot less often than normal, I have not yet been able to kick it altogether but I still have hope. Maybe if I have to put a dollar in a jar every time I say a naughty word I will improve and eliminate the problem altogether. I better check my wallet for ones and fives just in case. Sorry J-man, I'm trying.

I give up!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent. For those of you who don't know, Lent celebrates the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus suffered and bore his cross before he was crucified. Along with not eating meat on Fridays and for Ash Wednesday, Catholics must give up something to recognize all Christ gave up for us to save our souls. SO, since I do it WAY too much, I'm giving up cussing. That's right, I can't say bad words after midnight tonight. This out to be interesting. Wish me luck!

Happy Lent!!

$UCK$

I just paid about $250 to the great state of California to renew both my car registration, and my teaching credential. Nevermind the fact that the state owes me about that much in the form of a tax refund, but I'm expected to accept an IOU. I would love to see the look on the face of the office personnel at the CA Commission for Teacher Credentialing or the DMV if I handed them an IOU but whatever. Now I get to drive my car legally for another year and continue to pay ridiculous gas prices, and work as an underappreciated, underpaid, contractless, overworked teacher for another five years.

I guess I have a pretty stable job at least and I love doing it, but I would also love being paid more closely to what I am worth - that's another blog for another day. Until then, I will continue to pay to work and drive in this poorly managed state that is now 50th in the USA for spending in the area of education.