Disney World

Last week we had an opportunity to go to Orlando, Florida! Steve had business all week and I decided to join him on Wednesday. Since Steve would be working I didn’t want to go to the parks all by myself. I called the first person who popped into my head, my old college roommate Laurel. She came and we had a blast!! Neither Laurel or myself had ever been to Orlando before and didn’t really know what to expect. We each got park hoppers so we could see everything. It was the perfect time of year to go. Mid 70s to low 80s and no crowds. On Thursday Laurel and I went to MGM and Magic Kingdom. Friday morning we went back to Magic Kingdom, then Steve met us at Animal Kingdom in the afternoon. We all really enjoyed the Animal Kingdom. We went on a “Safari” where we saw Zebra, giraffe, Rhinoceros, etc… Saturday we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (Steve’s favorite park). It was more of an adult park with really amazing roller coasters. We went on a few water rides and got SOAKED!!! None of us have ever gotten that wet on a water ride before. Sunday we went to Epcot. Epcot is really cool because it is just a bunch of miniature countries like; Mexico, Canada, Japan, France, etc… Disney sure knows how to do it! We flew home Sunday evening and because of plane trouble Steve and I didn’t get home until 3:00 am Monday morning and had to wake-up 3 hours later for work. Let me tell you yesterday was one long day. We are very happy to be back, even though everything is extremely busy right now at work. We leave for Taiwan and Thailand in less then two weeks and are tying to get everything done. I hope everyone is having a great December.

What a Great ThanksGiving Break!!

Steve is doing the update this week. What a treat!

We had a lot of fun in southern California this last week. It was good to spend some time with Leah's family. Everyone came down except Brian and his wife Amanda. They were in New York with her family. Things are changing here. There are now two babies in the family now. Oliver is 8 months and Noelle is 19 months. It was a lot of fun to have them around to play with. Leah left on Saturday and flew to Arizona. He old college roommate Mimi had a baby 5 weeks ago and she was dying to go out and see them both. She had a lot of fun spending time with Mimi, Dan and baby Claire. She also got to spend time with her Grandma Knudsen.

Leah Flew from Arizona to Burbank on Tuesday. I left work ~11:00 on Tuesday and drove down. We played games with Leah's family that night and then I got up at ~6:00 the next morning with Ryan (Becky's husband) and went surfing down in Orange County. It was a lot of fun. We went with his dad and brother. We got there ~7:15 and had to hike ~1 mile to the beach, so we started surfing about 7:45. We finished at 10:45. That is a long time to surf! The waves were pretty good and the weather was fantastic, so we kept surfing. I learned quite a bit from Ryan and his dad. My arms and shoulders were pretty sore for the next few days from paddling. The hike was pretty good, too, with a 9' surfboard under the arms, but it wasn't crowded at all because it is such a remote location. It is behind Camp Pendleton with very restricted public access. That night we went to the big LA Car show (the largest car show in the west, I believe) and saw all the cool cars for next year. There are a lot of really, really expensive cars. The picture is of a Rolls Royce that was priced at $495,000! It was also nice to see all the models of the normal cars at the same time to be able to compare them immediately to each other. We're not in the market for a car, but . . . Leah's parents house is a little small when everyone comes home so Brian and Suzie get a hotel in Pasadena when we are all together. We love it because it means unlimited pool and hot tub use. Above is Leah and Noelle and Oliver and I swimming at the pool.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we didn't do much. Leah and I woke up and went to the gym, then came back and got ready for Thanksgiving dinner. We had that, played some card games, and then played football with Leah's family, which was actually a lot of fun. On Friday, we went to Universal Studios, which is pretty neat. It wasn't amazing, but it was a solid day of fun. I liked the rides that they had there, they just didn't have enough. It could be in part due to the fact that they weren't very crowded; the longest line we waited in was ~10 minutes. The coolest part of Universal Studios is the back lot tour. We saw different sets from films and T.V. shows like War of the Worlds and the Bates Hotel. Here is a picture of Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives. We ran out of things to do at ~3:30 and started going to shows, which were okay, but not the reason I go to an amusement park. Leah volunteered for one of the shows. We all got to sit in the front row to cheer her on. It was a special effects show. She went on stage and they super-imposed her into different movies, like the Nutty Professor. Notice how the screen "widened her" =).

On Saturday, we had breakfast with some of Leah's high school friends and their spouses. It was actually a lot of fun. When we left there, we went home and everyone got ready to go to the beach as it was a beautiful day (~75 at the beach). We went to Manhattan Beach and had a wonderful day. The tide was very low, lower than Suzy has ever seen it. The waves at Manhattan Beach are not very good, so Ryan and I skim boarded for an hour or so. Skim boarding is a lot of fun! It took me a bit to learn how to do it this summer (and I ate lots of sand), but now that I know how, it's great! We then went to church on Sunday and came home afterwards, which was a mistake. We should've left Saturday night before it got all trafficky, but we talked ourselves out of it. We knew better! Oh well, it took us 7 hours to get home instead of 5--not the end of the world. Anyways, that's about all that's been up with us the last week. I am getting ready to go to Orlando next week for a business trip. Leah will be showing up with Laurel, her old college roommate, mid-week to enjoy Disney World, etc. I will be able to participate at night and Friday and Saturday. Above is a picture of Ollie and one of Noelle.

Count down to ThanksGiving Break...

Another work week is over and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's been a long one, that's for sure. We had our Young Woman in Excellence program Tuesday night at the church. I was in charge of the music. We didn't have much time to practice, but the girls sure pulled it off. It is quite a relief to have that over and done with.

Steve is still in turn-around at the refinery. If I get home from school before 5:00 pm I can usually catch him before he leaves for work. Then he gets home at 7:00 am when I am leaving for work. They are suppose to be done this weekend. It will be great to have my husband back.

I have come down with the horrible cold that has been going around. It's been effecting my thought processes here at work. This morning I referred to my I.A Nicole as Mrs. Bonner in front of the whole class. She was up by the board and I asked, "Mrs. Bonner can you write the following names on the board?" Now the kids know that I really don't feel very good.

One more story, yesterday I had a student who wouldn't stop talking. After multiple warnings I asked him to move his seat. He said, "it's only 'cuz I'm white". I can't tell you how often I hear that sentence with a fill in the race blank at the end. I told him, and the rest of the class, that if you are going to choose to talk back to me please say something cleaver or Witty. I'm sick of the useless, stupid remarks. At least try to make me laugh or something. I think I am going to make it a new class rule...

Happy Halloween!!

Happiest of Halloween to all of you! I am actually in the process of handing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters. One little boy who looked to be about three years old just came to my door. He said, "Trick-or-treat, give me candy or pull down your underwear". His mother just about died! It was so funny.

So today at school I dressed up as an 80's girl. It was more like Kelly Kapaoski from Saved by the Bell (early years). It was a really fun costume to wear. The students thought it was very funny, side pony-tail and all. I told my students that I was coming dressed up as a decade. One of my boys was disappointed I didn't come as a 50's pin-up girl... Can you even imagine? High school boys and their vivid imaginations. To describe the outfit... A one piece coo-lot jumper, double socks, keds, an authentic acid wash jean jacket, two sets of shoulder pads, a Swatch watch and some other fun authentic jewelry.

So here is a picture of me and my instructional assistant Nicole with a few of our seniors. Check out the redheads legs... Way too much upper thigh. Nicole also dressed 80's. Her costume was great. Purple dress with gathered sleeves, black lace leggings, and the authentic jewelry and make-up. The kids said they like her hair better like this then normal. I guess the 80's are making a come back. Thank Heavens for Nicole. She makes work bearable. We are able to vent and laugh at lunch. Like today one of our students was angry with Nicole and she tried to trip her, then denied it. Where else can you go to work and get tripped on purpose? Well, I hope each one of you had a fun day!!

And another week has passed by...

Poor Steve-o. He is working a turn-around right now. (It's when they shut-down part of the refinery so work has to be 24/7). He has been working nights, 5 pm-6 am. I put tin foil in our window to block the light, but even when it's dark it is sure hard to sleep when you are use to being awake!

This week I was tenured at a banquet. Look at me! I guess I can start kicking the kids and will not get fired.

Any funny stories... Just same old, same old. I am so sick of being called "Cuz". I keep telling the ghetto-fabulous children that I am not their Cuz. I have this new student who is the BIGGEST wanna-be gangsta. He is this tiny little Latino boy who always is looking at his I.D. and says to himself "Damn, I am hella sexy, ladies watch out!" He cannot not talk/call out/make random noises for longer then 15-20 seconds at a time. I know because I sat back and documented it. Oh, how I wish you all could come to work with me for just one day. I complain sometimes, but for the most part I really do enjoy it!

This is a completely unrelated photo. It is My mom, me, and my sisters in Paris in front of the Moulin Rouge. When you don't have kids you aren't taking pictures every week. Halloween is coming and I will definitely get some pictures of that on here.

IQ Tests

So, yesterday I was administering the WIAT, which is a type of IQ test to one of my seniors. We were doing the reading comprehension part and I had him read a sentence. (Traffic stopped when an avalanche came tumbling down the hillside, covering the road with debris.) Then I asked the comprehension questions, "What happened as a result of the avalanche?" He said an accident. Then I asked, "what does the word debris mean in this sentence?" He answered by saying pieces of a car. Interesting...

When the test was over I was curious and asked him what an avalanche is, because his answers were not what they should have been. He said, "you know, a Chevy Avalanche. The car tumbled down the hill and ended up on the road all crashed up." I guess he was right if you think about it like that!

San Francisico

Our Trip to Washington D.C. September, 2007

Steve's sister Janel and her family moved out to Maryland almost a year ago. We decided it was time to take a trip and visit them. D.C. is such a cool city! We were able to see so much including the White House, State Capital, Washington and Lincoln Memorials, and a bunch of war memorials. We also got to see a few Smithsonian museums. One of my favorite things was the U.S. Holocaust Museum. It was very powerful. I was extremely impressed by the level of respect and reverence that the tourists showed at the different memorials. We went into Baltimore and went to a Orioles baseball game. We also visited the D.C. Temple. I loved that area of the country. Thanks Tingeys for moving there! It was so fun to visit with Janel, Scott and their girls, Megan and Sarah. Their new home and the area they live in are just beautiful!

Could this week be any busier?

You know how everything is so busy when you get back from a trip? Yep, that is how it is right now. I've had work or church meetings/activities after school all week and haven't had time to wash the whites (and we all know how important that is) =). I am also doing a vinyl party on Saturday and have to cut enough vinyl for 40 boards.

Work is going well. Those high schoolers always keep me on my toes. I've been promising some people for a while that I would start blogging about funny student stories, so I'll try to fit a few of those in every now and again.

A quick apology to all the readers. I am new at this whole thing, so sorry if things look a little crazy. I am sure I'll get better.

The First Entry

Look at me, I am becoming so technical! That's right, I blog, I am a blogger. I've really enjoyed reading and keeping in touch through other people's blogs, so I thought it was about time we started our own. Hopefully I will keep up with it with updates, pictures and of course funny special ed stories =). I have had a few requests for those.