Back to School

Today was the first day of in-service. I still can't believe that I am here. I am so excited (and a little nervous) about teaching I can hardly stand it. Tomorrow I'll be joining my mentor at a math workshop. From now until winter break, I am her shadow and will do pretty much everything she does. Today we worked on some more classroom preparations and talked briefly about one element of the work sample I'll be teaching. I am looking forward to later in the week when she and I will me with my program supervisor so that all details will hopefully be worked out and I will feel like I have a better plan of when I'll be teaching, what my role as student-teacher involves, and what my mentor's role involves as well. The reality of being so close to finishing my master's is still overwhelming...I nearly started crying in the car on my drive to school this morning. It has been a long - and not uneventful - road. I cannot believe that the end is so near. I am ready. Here we go!

Take two...

I have bravely decided to try a regular exercise regimen...again. I don't know how many times I've tried...and then failed. But this time, I feel like it's going to last. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm one month away from turning 30 years old. Who knows? But I was watching the Olympics and saw a little clip on Dara Torres, the oldest medaling swimmer in Olympic history (or something like that). She really inspired me. She looks amazing for 41...thanks to her staff of trainers, massage therapists, chiropractors, etc. Since I can't afford all of those 'helpers,' I am going to have be consistent and disciplined in my 'training.' I'm not shooting to compete in the Olympics. I am only determined to battle AGE. She is a determined warrior, but I'm not succumbing to her inevitable grasp without a fight. Besides, Solomon and Neftali love going for walk-jogs, I can't disappoint those who generously invested in my awesome double jogging stroller, and I'm sure I will need some sort of stress reliever once school starts up. What better solution that exercise? Wait...school starts next week! Yikes! I don't know if I'm ready...better go for a jog.

Home Sweet Home

We got back Sunday evening at around 8pm after a delightful, yet tiring, three night-four day camping trip with my brother and his family. It was my brother's first time ever camping with his wife and four kids. What fun! I love watching our kids play together. Maybe it's because he and I never had the opportunity to play with our cousins when we were growing up. Do we even have cousins? Who knows...but I am so thankful that my sister-in-law and I are such good friends, and my brother and husband get along well. There really aren't many things much more important than family. Except Jesus.

The Menendez tent, and the kitchen

We camped along the John Day River in eastern Oregon. Beautiful high desert country. I am so bummed that I wasn't able to take pics the first night during an amazing thunder-and-lightning storm. It was absolutely incredible! But instead of being able to sit back and watch, we took some safety precautions and loaded most of our valuables - including the kiddos - into the car (after just unpacking them!) and then crawled into the back of the van to wade the storm out. Of course, when we were ready to watch from the inside of the van, the storm had pretty much passed. Oh well. Just try to imagine the most brilliant bolts of lightning lighting up the WHOLE sky with all sorts of colors. Breathtaking.

The beautiful scenery surrounding the river below

Nefty and his cousins (Ben, Nefty, Sam, and Roman from L to R)


Nefty learning how to shoot (yikes...)


Solomon thoroughly enjoyed his very first camping adventure!