It's About Time!

What a jam-packed week this has been, but thank the Lord it was. :) I had the chance to spend time with friends (new and old), work, and play -- as tough as this job is, the time off is certainly a great reward and I am not ashamed to say that I reap its benefits to the fullest.

• Monday - Stayed at home to clean, walked with K and hubby at the park.
• Tuesday - Stayed at home to clean, met up with K to go to the Citadel and do some damage to the credit card for the first time in a while ;)
• Wednesday - Did a kindergarten readiness workshop for my cousin's Pre-K parents. Breakfast & bonding with my aunt (whom I admire greatly). Walked with K & P and hubby at Almansor (getting good, but not as good as the runners!)
• Thursday - Slept in, then met up with my favorite USC ladies for lunch at L.A. Live downtown at The Farm. Lunch was yummy, but what was more delectable was seeing my ladies in their element -- all of them have been kicking butt at their various jobs, and it was so awesome to see these smart, intelligent, savvy ladies and spend a lunch in "their shoes" -- it certainly isn't the 25 minute run to El Pollo Loco that I always get!
• Friday - Subbed an outstanding kinder class (yay extra $$$...or more like $), met up with H after school to watch Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, then dinner at Lee's Tofu. I stuffed myself silly and we got to hang out at our old haunts, RiteAid and Payless after a too full dinner stroll.

Plans for this weekend include a basketball tournament with some of our favorite kids, a beach bonfire with the hubby's gang, dinner with two very special friends I haven't seen in AGES!, and a bbq with my family. Summer is here and it is proving to be a fulfilling one! :)

At last, a moment to rest!

Today is the first day in a long time that I have NOTHING TO DO. It's about time this vacation = relaxation! :) May has been, surprisingly, a whirlwind of trainings, working overtime (subbing), and planning the last minute details for my dad's 60th birthday. It all finally culminated this past Saturday so I finally have a chance to catch my breath. I've also been slowing down on the sub days so I can concentrate on slowly getting the house together and finally work on some projects that have been put on the back burner.

This weekend was good, albeit rather tiring. Friday I picketed at work then rushed like mad to buy last minute stuffs for the party and start getting the house together. Mom and I went to J's recital at CSULA and the rest of the night was spent prepping + diner and yogurt with the gang. Sister, J, hubby and I stayed up late to get the favors ready for Saturday. Saturday I got up super early to prep and BARELY made it (actually, I was a little late) to start the party. Hopefully my sister got some good pictures of the tablescapes and all -- the Western theme was so much fun to work with. :) Later on "the gang" came over to help us with the leftovers and graciously helped clean up. We finished off with a round of mad gab. Sunday was the best day EVER - hubby and I just stayed at home in our pj's all day. I had a chance to mop and do a deep cleaning of the dining area. The rest of the day was spent on the couch watching movies.

I do like to relax :)

Life Is Good!

Things I've done this week --

3 days of walking with good friends = good conversation and enjoyable exercise
running errands and spending a relaxing day at home with Damon, I love it when he takes a day off :)
substituting the rest of the week = mas dinero! :)

It's not the kind of vacation that I'm used to -- no big trips, no wedding ;) and no major projects, but I'm keeping busy with some subbing here and there and I'm finding overall that it's a good balance of work and play. I'm a happy camper being able to make some extra $$ without the usual stresses of class and students. Yay for summer!

Weekend Roundup

Friday:

• first day of vacation, but i substituted (yay for $)
• met up with some former colleagues for a quick meeting at starbucks to discuss some issues.
  
• chicken karage, miso soup, and rice for dinner. yum.
• meet up with S-M-K and J-K for a round of battle of the sexes.
• stay up way too late.

Saturday:

• slept in a bit
• cleaned up around the house
• ran some errands including a stop at the grocery store
• made a greek salad for potluck dinner
• met up with S-M-K and J-K again for yummilicious Greek themed dinner and a really good game of Mad Gab.
• stayed up way too late again.

Sunday:

• slept in again
• lazed around, did laundry, watched a movie on cable
• went to go see a potential house for rent (we're looking to save some more money if possible)
• took Mom, Dad, Sister + bf, and Auntie to a birthday dinner (x3) at Roy's. So so good!

Today, Monday is the first day that I have nothing planned since my vacation started. I just realized that the homework I thought was due May 8 is actually due tomorrow, May 5. Now I'm rushing to get this done. Boo.

Vacation!

First day of vacation was today. I was up by 7, at work by 7:30, left at 3:30, and had a meeting with some of the big-wigs until 4:30. Why did I go to work? I don't know why I feel the need to sub, but I promised myself I'd make my vacation productive this time around. So substitute it is. At least it's lighthearted, fun, and stimulating. I'm a bit tired today but next week I'll only be subbing 3 days so I'll have a nice long weekend to recuperate a bit. Hopefully the money will be worth it *crossing fingers*

This year was really rough -- tough kids, tough situation, and budget cuts all rolled into one. I've learned a lot though, and renewed my heart for teaching -- I think I needed a reminder that this career isn't just about me, but about kids. I was reminded why I got into this profession in the first place -- because I wanted to do something with my life that was meaningful, work with children in a way that was positive, and make a difference. This year was a complete renewal of that motivation and heart that I had when I first started, and I'm thankful for that reminder.

I'm still waiting to see what will happen to me for the next school year. The latest looks like class size is going up to 24:1 in primary and 30.5:1 in upper grades, which means I'll get displaced from my school. I have my fingers crossed that all the props will pass (vote Yes, please!) May 19, which will increase funding at the schools and save my position. I really do love my school and want to stay...but if I can't, I'll know that it's because God has a different plan for me and thinks I'm ready for something tougher. I hope I can rise to that challenge.