day 181

I received a letter today from one of my former students. Sometimes, when I'm focused on how difficult it is to be an adult, I forget how hard it was to be a kid. That last sentence just breaks my heart.

day 180

Sometimes parents mess up.

I drugged Hershey and took her to the vet today to have a tick removed from her paw. I've been trying to get it out on my own for a couple of weeks and haven't had any luck. Arijana and I even tried to scare it out with a hot match. Well... it turns out that it's not actually a tick - just a little mass, like a wart. I felt so bad for her. Even now, several hours later, she's passed out on the floor and looks so pathetic. Poor girl.

day 179

This afternoon I attended Taste of Adams Avenue with Jody and Dan. For $25, you can sample foods and beverages from a bunch of restaurants on and near Adams Avenue, through Kensington and Normal Heights. We had great food at all of the places we tried but my favorite, by far, was this Tarte Chaude au Reblochon at Bleu Boheme. Jody and I will absolutely return for more of that in the near future!

Sadly, my stomach started to revolt a bit so I missed out on some of the foods at the end but overall, it was a really good time. Thanks for a lovely day you guys! :)

day 178

Arijana and I took the dogs down to Fiesta Island for a walk. The Browns and Johnson did a lot of swimming but Buba stayed dry on the shore, watching them.

day 177

I went to the Del Mar Fair with Arijana and Dan today for the San Diego International Beer Festival.

We got there a few hours before the Festival started so we walked around the fair for a bit, checking out the animals, sampling the fried foods and looking at some of the exhibits. I was a bit disappointed that there was only one little piglet in the barns but I did get to scratch his belly so that made up for it. :)

At the Festival, they had over 300 different beers and we received a small glass at check-in so that we could get a 1-ounce sample of as many of them as we wanted. Lots of the servers gave a very generous pour so I don't think we tried even a third of them. They had beer on tap, in bottles of all types, beer that's made like wine and champagne and even home brewed beer in a big huge jug. We tried all kinds of flavors and I was actually pretty surprised that I liked so many of them. Arijana and I liked the raspberry and cherry beers the best. See more photos of the day here.

Thank you for the great idea Dan! I can't wait to do it all over again next year!

day 176

I took the dogs with me this morning as I ran some errands. It started to heat up so when we got to Petco, I didn't feel right about leaving them in the car. They were so excited to be there and went crazy sniffing around at all the toys and bones and bags of food. Charlie was especially drawn to these rawhide bones so we brought a couple home. I tried to get some shots of him in the store but he was moving so quickly, I couldn't get a clear shot with my phone. Hershey helped me out with this shot once we got home.

day 175

Dan and I went down to PB to take a walk on the boardwalk this evening. Just before sunset, we went to Lahaina's for a beer and then moved on to dinner at Nick's. I miss a lot of things about living out at the beach so it was great to spend some time out there. Thanks for the great time tonight Dan!

day 174

I hung out with Robyn and her kids today at their neighborhood pool. It was so relaxing and just fun to be with them. Holden came running up to me with a flower when I arrived and then blew me a kiss as I left - I totally dig on the little man love, as Robyn put it. I had a nice long girl chat with Hannah and snapped shot after shot of her playing in the pool. She has the greatest little kid butt which Robyn and I couldn't help admiring - oh, how I miss having a butt like that! She really wanted to be my photo of the day so here it is Hannah... you got it cutie pie! :)

Thank you so much for the great day you guys! I really enjoyed it.

day 173

day 172

Arijana sent me a "what are you doing?" text this afternoon. Next thing I know, we're lying on the beach in Coronado, soaking in the sun. When the wind picked up, we packed it in and headed to Tartine for some dinner. After we had our fill of wine and cheese, we took a walk along the water and came across a whole bunch of ducks and eight little ducklings. I took a bunch of photos of it all. Thanks for the wonderful afternoon Arijana!

day 171

day 170

Jody arranged a little gathering tonight in honor of our Jim, who is officially retiring from teaching. We met up at Old Venice, one of our very favorite spots for wine and food with friends. It was such a great surprise to get a last minute call from Robyn and to see Jill (who lives up in Santa Monica but happened to be in town.)

This group represents some of the best of what Clear View has brought to my life over the years and it was so nice to spend some time with these people who mean a lot to me. I love you guys! Thanks for getting us all together J! :)

day 169

I had lunch with Jody, Robyn and her kids today. Afterward, we walked around the mall for a bit and did some shopping. It's always a lot of fun to be with the kids and it's so good for me. There's nothing better for your heart than the affection of a child. Thanks for a great afternoon ladies - and Holden!

day 168

I was hoping that one of my students would take our one remaining mouse home when school ended for the year but that didn't happen. Hershey, it turns out, is quite afraid of mice so I had a little fun with her today when I took Snowflake out to clean her cage. I tried to get them in a shot together but she just moved too fast...

day 167

We began our official registration for LdV today. :)

day 166

MoPA hosted a volunteer appreciation picnic this afternoon for the the people who helped out at their Vintage event earlier this month. After the lunch, I wandered around Balboa Park a bit, taking photos and enjoying the sunshine. This flower reminded me of one I photographed in Peru and brought back great memories.

day 165

My friends Nanci and Shon organized a co-ed softball game today at Kit Carson Park and then we headed over to their house afterward for a BBQ. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. What an excellent way to kick off the summer! Thank you Finchies - I love you guys!

day 164

I took a lot of really bad, unusable photos today. This was actually the last one I shot - in Arijana's kitchen. She invited me over for wine and cheese (yum) and Jody joined in too. Good times with the girls! Thanks for the hospitality A!

day 163

My nine years at Clear View came to an end today. It is such a relief to put an end to a very difficult year and move forward. Appropriately, I left in a hurry to get to a meeting for LdV at our home-to-be, Mater Dei. I can't wait to get things started there! Greener pastures, here I come.


See a couple more photos from today here.

day 162

Today was the last day of school for my second graders. In the morning, Aaliyah very excitedly told me that Marien had a special surprise for me on her belly but said, "I can't tell you what it is because it's a surprise." :) Marien was very coy when she finally showed me.

I feel so lucky to have spent the last year with these kids. It's been a difficult year for me with all the charter drama and we've had some challenges as a class too - I think it all gave us a really special bond. They have been my refuge and I am so grateful for their time and love.

day 161

Since we will no longer be in session when Father's Day rolls around, my kids made cards for their dads today. This is Matthew's creation - my hands down favorite! Love the beard.

day 160

We had our annual 'Staff VS the 6th Graders' softball game today. It's one of those things I really enjoy about the end of the school year.

day 159

Jody, Heidi and I joined Miss Scott and her sixth graders in attending tonight's Padres game against the Diamondbacks. Some of these students were in my class when I last taught fourth grade a couple of years ago. Man, do they change a lot in those two short years! It was a great game and we had a lot of fun. The Padres were up by 3 runs when we left a the top of the 8th inning...

day 158

Jody and I moved our stuff out today. My things are in my garage and this is the storage unit she rented. Dan and I helped her unload everything and left her to organize it all.

day 157

My friends Karen, Heidi and Jody came over this evening for some wine and a chance to catch up. It was really good to see Karen (she lives in Corona these days) and to remember the good days of Clear View. I love you girls - thank you so much for brightening up my weekend.

day 156

I went out with Dan tonight, to Wine Steals in Point Loma. We shared this bottle of wine, a big plate of meats, cheeses and fruits and lots of good conversation. It was a great end to a pretty rough week. Thank you, thank you, thank you Dan - that was just what I needed!

day 155

As of today, we have exactly one week of school left. One of the things I like to do with my students at the end of the year is a compliment poster. I set the timer for a minute and the kids write a message or something they like about the person whose paper they have. When the timer goes off, the papers get traded. At the end, everyone in the class has written something on your paper.

When we were all finished, the room was buzzing. The kids were so excited to read what everyone had written. A few of the kids came over to hug me and tell me that they liked what I wrote on their poster. Fabian called me over to his desk and said, "look how many people said I am cool! I feel like a rrrrock starrrr!" :)

day 154

We had another Board of Trustees meeting tonight for LdV and things are really taking shape! Many of our meetings have been held at Palace Garden, a mobile home park for seniors. They have a beautiful garden just outside the room where we meet and I spent much of the evening looking out there...

day 153

day 152

My students really love playing cards with our aide, Mr. B. They get so excited about hanging out with him and it's really funny to see this super tall guy playing cards with a bunch of little girls. :)