Sonoma/San Francisco, CA

One of Troy's annual conferences led us to California for the weekend. I had grand ideas of biking through the wine country, but once we arrived, I realized all I really wanted to do for our two days in Sonoma was to catch up on my reading poolside. And that's exactly what I did. While Troy sat in lectures all day, I worked on my tan. Sunday, we headed to San Francisco for two days of sight seeing. 

Taking a stroll in the park

Troy, being the most amazing husband, bought us tickets to "Wicked".

It was fabulous!

Completely outing myself as a tourist with a cable car picture

And, of course, I had to see Alcatraz

It was great just being away for a long weekend. There is truly nothing I love more than traveling and I am about to get another taste with our weeklong road trip in exactly seven days!

Monsters, Muscles and Mormons

"And then the monsters get caught by the net!" five-year-old Cameron exclaims. "But don't be scared, PE teacher, they aren't real monsters." His daily topic of discussion: Scooby Doo. During lunch, class or while just passing in the hall, wide-eyed Cameron loves to reveal the latest happens of his favorite mystery-solving, crime-fighting team. After months of story telling, he finally asked, "PE teacher, have you ever seen Scooby Doo?" He huffs with disappointment after I shamefully admit I've yet to witness the sheer awesomeness of Scooby Doo. "Ok," he says frankly. "This is what you're going to do." And with one long inhale, he states, "You'll go this way (pointing south) and take a left until you see Edison Street. Go to the house with the red door. You'll knock on the door. I'll answer and say 'Hey, it's PE teacher!' then we'll watch the show."  I love that when he said, "Hey, it's PE teacher!", he threw his hands in the air like he was pleasantly surprised by my unannounced visit.

In between my 8-9 PE classes every day, I help the kindergarten classes in the lunch room. While kneeling to tie a child's shoe, I feel a little tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Sumaine, his brow furrowed with concern no five year old should understand. "PE teacher, why are you so happy?" I slightly giggle and respond, "Because you guys are so awesome." He continues to look solemnly into my eyes, then with a nod of his head, he goes on his way. The next day, he approaches me again. Again with a concerned look, he delivers the diagnosis. "If you keep smiling so much, your face is going to freeze." "Uh Oh!" I gasp. "Should I be more mean?" "No! No! No!" he cries. "I just don't want your face to freeze."

I was leading the preschoolers through their weekly yoga break. When I introduced the newest pose I would be adding to their repertoire called the "warrior", Duncan's eyes lit up with excitement. "I know this one! I know this one!" he yelled. "It's from Helaman. Helaman has the warriors." It took me a second to realize what he was talking about (I have many students with Book of Mormon/Bible names), but I burst into laughter when I realized he was referencing the 2,000 stripling warriors. Obviously someone paid attention in Primary.

Foster Update: Months 1-3

It didn't take long for Tyson to get adopted. Frankly we were surprised he made it eight days at our house before finding a permanent home. Since he left, a handful of dogs have come and gone. Here's a few pictures of the sweet canines who have blessed us with their presence over the past two months.

Baxter (Shih Tzu mix)

Dawson (eight-week-old Border Collie)

Titan (Standard Poodle)

Tank (Corgi)

Koda (Great Pyrenees/Border Collie) in front and Lily (Black Lab) in the back.

And our anonymous puppies. These two came into the shelter at only four weeks old so we volunteered to house them for three weeks before they were eligible for adoption. The three week waiting period has ended, but they are still awaiting a home.

Troy and I are loving the foster system, though with each dog it is difficult to turn them over to the owner. I am excited once we receive the news the dogs have been adopted, but without fail, I feel the pang of sorrow in my heart knowing I won't see them again. It doesn't take long for them to feel like your own children. 

We have managed to take two dogs at a time and our downstairs is running with the efficiency of a kennel. The shelves are stocked with dry food, wet food for the underweight dogs, toys, collars, etc. and the washer is always  working to keep the blankets and dog beds clean. Though it can be stressful at times (especially with puppies who aren't house broken), I absolutely love having these visitors in our home.

Eight Hundred and Seventy Four...

days together and not a single one spent apart. Over two years with my baby and I still can't get enough of him. Here's hoping for many more days, months and years together.