Cinco de Mayo

One of my students invited us over for a "teacher appreciation" dinner. It just happened to be on May 5. They decked out the house with sombreros, streamers hanging from ceiling fans, fresh guacamole, and fun music. Each kid got to choose one other kid from their class to host their teacher. The three teachers of each of their boys came. Truman (lighter hair) invited McKay (darker hair) and his family to be with me. After dinner and visiting, the teachers got to hit the Spongebob pinata. I told a story about my dad getting hit in the face with a dowel during a pinata party one Christmas...hence the catchers masks. Safety first! The pinata had a lot of candy which McKay and Truman grabbed for me as well as lots of pens and SHARPIES! MY FAVORITE! Way to push those 1st and 3rd grade kids out of the way boys...we scored!

Accent on Excellence Awards Banquet

This year I was awarded a district award called Accent on Excellence. There was a banquet on May 2 and I was allowed to invite one student to speak in my behalf. I invited Brianna, a darling ten-year-old girl. We had a great time and had a delicious dinner. Following dinner, awards were presented to the teachers after their students had spoken about them. Brianna's dad, Jonathan came as well as my principal, Dr. Nancy Sorensen, and our assistant principal, Janna Kunz. It was a wonderful night. I felt very honored and flattered to be chosen. They even gave me $500! Brian said it was okay to be a little impractical with the money. :) I still have a lot to learn about teaching but am enjoying the ride. Year 6 and counting!

Spring Break - Oregon Coast

For spring break we flew to Oregon with Brian's parents, his sister, and her husband. We had a great time. I had never been. Brian's family vacations here often just because it is calm and peaceful. It was totally relaxing - no pressure to hurry or feel like we had a list of things to do. I would absolutely go there again! Our hotel, the "Surfrider" was right on the coast. Literally. It was between Lincoln City and Newport. It took about 3 hours to drive there from Portland. We went to the Oregon Aquarium and saw all sorts of fun stuff. This is actually where Keiko the killer whale was until his release. His tank was made into a 360-degree walk through aquarium. It made me sea-sick. We watched the sunset from a cave below the hotel. All in all, a GREAT trip!