Here Comes Fall

I can't believe that it is fall already! I really don't know where summer went. Lately Jason and I have been spending a lot of time with our friends and family, which is much needed. :) We are so thankful for the support and group of people that we have surrounded ourselves with. This is me with some of my best friends, Darcy and Lizzie. I have known them both since kindergarten and first grade :) So thankful.We are going to need all that support as we embark on yet another year of substitute teaching. I will be working at Starbucks again, but will be leaving Wednesday through Friday open for subbing (we get benefits through Sbux so I'll be there at least 20 hours a week). Jason will be full-time subbing this fall. Starting in January he will be starting a program at Portland State to get his special education teaching endorsement. All the classes will eventually transfer to a master's degree...but for now we are going to work towards him getting another certification and area that he can teach in. We are working hard at being content with where we are at. We were hoping and praying that this year would be different for us, but here we go again...We went to the fair this year. It is always fun to watch the shows and people watch...there are a lot of interesting people at the fair (that's a understatement). We watched the acrobats and the hypnotist. We also got to pet some pretty cute little animals:)We have also been enjoying the funny antics of our sweet little kittens...here is a video of them "helping" me make the bed...

Tohoe 2010

We got back a few weeks ago from the annual Tahoe camping trip with Jason's mom's side of the family. It was a lot of fun this year, and the weather was perfect everyday. We drove down, and had NO car trouble ;) Those of you that know Jason and my past with car trips know that is an amazing feat. We went to the lake everyday, relaxed, made smores, played disc golf, mini-golfed and played games. It was a wonderful week, and a much needed and appreciated vacation.
Below is a picture of a cliff...somehow I was convinced to jump off of it. I sat hunched on the edge of the cliff while everyone else went at least once. There was a seven year old girl who went seven times before I got up the guts to even stand up on the edge...haha. You know a cliff is higher than you expected when you have time to complete full thoughts as you plummet towards the water. :)We also went to a baseball game for Bryce's 50th birthday while we were down there. It was so much fun even though I didn't know anyone who was playing ;) There is something about being in a huge stadium with tons of screaming fans that makes you cheer too.

San Juan Camping

We had our first official camping trip just the two of us. :) It was a trip that's for sure...
It all started off with us driving up to take the ferry to the San Juan Islands in Washington. It all started off perfectly. We got on the road around 8:30am and made our way in good time. Suddenly...about 45 minutes from the ferry we were trying to catch when our car lurched on the freeway. We pulled off at a family owned car shop and they let us know there was something wrong with our transmission... So...we drove to the nearest Ford dealership where they informed us that a part of our transmission was broken and needed to be fixed immediately. The only problem was that that part was back down in Portland and wouldn't be able to be fixed until Tuesday (that would be the end of our vacation). Needless to say Jason and my spirits were crushed. We didn't think we were going to make it to the San Juans. Thankfully they informed us that we could leave our car with them until it could be fixed, and that it would be paid for under warranty. :) We then rented a car and made it to the ferry that left at 8:30pm!!We set our tent up in the dark and 10:30pm and slept so good that night...
The rest of our trip was amazing! :) We camped on Orcas Island, but we also spent time exploring Friday Harbor and Lopez Island. We went on a hike on Orcas Island to a beautiful forested waterfall:We spent lots of relaxing time around the campfire...getting to talk about life, dream about the future and have so many laughs. There is something about being in the outdoors that makes you just relax and be completely yourself; and what better person to do that with than your husband. :)We went to Friday Harbor one day and explored the many shops and looked at the countless boats docked at the harbor...Then we played some disc golf...pretty sure that was Jason's favorite part of the whole trip ;) He is pretty talented I must say...I was his disc spotter...much needed considering half the holes were in the woods:It was the perfect vacation with my best friend/husband :) So many great talks and funny memories. San Juan Vacation...check! :)

"You are still only subbing?"

Well, the school year is almost done, and we are still in the same spot when it comes to teaching jobs for the future. With school district's budgets being stretched there has been a freeze put on the overall hiring process. Jason is doing a lot better at being open minded about our situation...it is hard still waiting. I know that God has great things planned for us, but it sure is hard waiting to see what those things are.

Lately I've been asked this question over and over, "You are still only subbing?" Let me be honest here for a second...there are two words in that short question that have me wondering. First off, 'still.' It is diffidently not our first choice to be substitute teaching. But, it is a job where we get to use the degrees that we went to four plus years of school for. It is one of the least appreciated and challenging jobs I have ever done. You can't be nice it seems or the students walk all over you. So, no we are not 'still' subbing, we are subbing.

Secondly, comes the word 'only.' Again this goes back to the idea that we are choosing to sub rather than have our own classroom (completely untrue). Jason actually had someone ask him if he was taking it "easy," and "just subbing." The reality is, that even though the 'experts' promise more jobs, with each job we apply anywhere from 100-400 other people also applying. In fact this year it has been rumored that many principals won't even get a choice in who they hire; districts will simply move teachers around instead of hiring new. Also, we are not 'only' subbing. We each have had multiple weeks where we work over 50 or 60 hours...I try not to think about the amount of work we are working versus the monetary gain we are able to make.

I am so thankful for my strong, level headed husband, that does not let life's curve-balls strike him down. When I am feeling discouraged he is right there to point me back to the Word, and the promises that Christ made to me, that ALL things will work together for good. I realize that I need to stop waiting for the good and notice the good all around me.

Just a few of the things I am thankful for:

P90X

Well, I don't know if many of you have heard of P90X, but it is a at home workout program that promises to get you into shape in 90 days. Jason and I just completed our first week of working out on it last night....and I LOVE it! Each workout is about an hour long, and when you get done you are tired, pumped and sweaty! That's how I know it is working. Each morning after working out a new muscle is sore, but again that lets me know that I am working hard. I can already tell a physical difference just after the first six days. It's fun too because Jason and I get to do it together. There was one time last week where we were both laughing so hard during the workout because we knew we looked ridiculous trying. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. :) I will keep you posted with our updates as we continue on in our second week of P90X.

Other than that we have been keeping ourselves VERY busy subbing...almost too busy working if you ask me. Jason was a P.E. teacher for three weeks while the teacher was out with his new baby. Jason loved it, and I know it was hard for him to go back to teaching in the classroom. My dad was very helpful when it came to giving Jason advice about teaching P.E....he's been doing it for 30 years so we figured he had some good ideas :) I on the other hand, have been doing the majority of my subbing at Wright Elementary, the same school my dad teaches at. Last week I had 60 hours of work in total between my subbing and Sbuxing...same thing this week. When is summer?

Fetching Cat?

We are very proud of the talents of our children...

There you have it...a pretty amazing kitty. :)

Enjoying the Last of Winter

Well, first off it is important to say that Jason and I decided not to go to Indonesia to teach. There were a lot of reasons...some being that for going somewhere for two years, we didn't feel excited about the idea. We also prayed a lot about it for the two weeks leading up to our decision. Once we let them know it felt so good, and we knew that we had made the right decision.
We had a great Valentine's Day, and I got to celebrate my birthday for a few days in a row. Jason got me some beautiful roses (shown above :) We went to Sunriver with my family over Valentine's Day. I am 23 now...time sure goes by fast... ;)

Besides that, we have both been subbing a lot all throughout Salem and Jefferson. We are both done with our 3-week (each) student teaching, so we are very close to getting our elementary endorsements. That should help us in the job market this upcoming year since we will both be able to apply for all elementary jobs plus Jason in history (middle and high), and language arts (middle and high) for me. I know we both don't want to have to go through another year where we are both working two jobs each and never having time to do anything but work. This week I am pushing 60 hours between my two jobs. Don't get me wrong, we are VERY thankful for the jobs that we have, but to focus on one job, and be teaching, which is what we both want to be doing, would be ideal.Last weekend I got to go on the annual woman's retreat with Salem Heights Church. It was AWESOME!! I needed the break, and got to spend so much "girl" time with the other young ladies at church. It was so much fun to go shopping, go out to eat and stay up late talking. I am so excited about the friendships that were begun, and the ones that grew a ton over that weekend! I have been praying for more girlfriends, and what's crazy is that talking last weekend we were all praying the same thing! Jason and I have been hanging out with so many young married couples, and it is awesome. We are all at around the same place in life, so we share funny stories and are hopefully creating lasting friendships :)
I will leave you with a funny quote from one of my kindergarten boys:

"I put some smelly stuff on today. I wanted to be handsome."