day 90

Jody is such a good sport. :)

day 89

Today I attended the second day of a two day training on Nonviolent Crisis Intervention with a group of teachers and other staff members from my school. I think it's a training that all teachers should have. It was incredibly empowering and will absolutely change the way I interact with students from now on.

This photo shows the trainers helping our staff members practice the 'team control position.' It is used in a case where a student becomes a danger to himself or to others and needs to be restrained.

day 88

Jody and I volunteered for the Military Ministry after church today. They are collecting care package items and cards for a squadron that is stationed in Kuwait. We didn't do much, other than talking to a few people and handing out information about how to get involved in the ministry but I'm glad that we were able to help out in some way.

day 87

Today is a big day for my friends, the Walcotts! They are officially moving out of their rental in the Grove and into their very own home.
The best part (for me anyway!) is that their new place is on the other side of Olympic Parkway - just a short walk from my house. We aren't right next door like we were in the Grove but we will get to be neighbors all over again! I helped them get the truck packed up this morning and am happy to be off the hook for the actual move-in. They hired some movers for that part since their home is a three-story condo - that's a LOT of stairs!
Congratulations Naeem and Arijana! I am so happy for you guys and am glad that this will mean you're staying in the States for a while! :)

day 86

Jody and I went to The House of Blues tonight to see Brett Dennen in concert. He sounds great live but I have to say, I was a bit weirded out by his dancing and stage presence. I was feeling a little nauseous (not because of Brett!) so we sat on a trunk in a corner where we could enjoy the music but not see the stage. That worked out well and we amused ourselves with some fantastic people watching from there. Good times!

See a few more shots here.

day 85

Today at school we had 'Culture Day.' Each teacher chose a culture to share and the kids were able to choose 3 different cultures they wanted to learn about. They were so excited about it all. I taught my groups about Ireland and had a great time with it. At the end of the day we had a great assembly with the Abalaye African Dance Ensemble.

day 84

On my way home tonight, I stopped at Fresh & Easy to get a few things. This is my new favorite place to shop for groceries. They have really great prices and some very tasty, fresh foods that make for quick dinners. I especially like their cheese and bacon crispbakes, southern chicken escalopes, and par-baked french bread (especially the garlic loaf which has whole cloves of garlic baked into it.) Yum.

day 83

Jody decided that we should go out every night for the next two weeks until Spring Break hits so we went out tonight for the second night in a row. Unheard of. I really enjoyed it - what a great break from cooking for one and holding down my sofa!
We ate at one of our San Diego favorites, Urban Solace in North Park. This time, we were joined by some friends that we work with, Christina and Pam. If you live in San Diego or come here for a visit, it's a fantastic spot for dinner. We sat outside on the patio where they have live music on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. (Tonight, they had Daniele Spadavecchia playing with an accompanist.) They made the whole experience just perfect!
We shared a bottle of wine and for dinner, ordered several favorites to share - Cheese Biscuits with orange-honey butter, Sweet Potato Fries, a Wedge salad and the Pulled Chicken and Dumplings. It was all so decadent and delicious! Pam noticed that they had an Espresso Martini on the menu and ordered one so that we could all try it. After dinner, Jody ordered a Not-So-Red Velvet Cake for dessert but I had to skip it because I forgot to take my acid reflux medicine and by then the reflux was on the attack.
What a great time I had with you, ladies! Thank you so much for joining us on a school night! :)

See a couple of other photos here.

day 82

After a long Monday at work, Jody and I decided to go crazy and head out for a beer (or in my case, a cider.) It was a such a great change of pace and a good reminder that we need to not take all the work stuff so seriously and get a life!

day 81

I bought two jasmine plants for my front porch a few weeks ago. They have already bloomed and smell so great. I am looking forward to sitting out there in the evenings as the weather warms up.