Matthew and Amanda got Married on November 30th. They were married in Las Vegas, Nevada in a small ceremony. I wanted to share these pictures with you. They are planning a family wedding in the Spring. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Big News!
We have big news! Matthew has a fiance' and plans to marry in a civil service soon. Her name is Amanda and she will be a wonderful addition to our family! She and Matthew are very well suited to one another.
We are very happy for them both and wish them all the best that life can bring. Amanda will be moving to Alaska to join Matthew. In April or May (whenever he can get leave), they will return for a family wedding. Then when Matt is deployed to Iraq, Amanda will return to Riverside to stay with her family. She will be attending Riverside Community College via the internet during the Alaska stay. They both have aspirations to be teachers: he a math teacher and her a science teacher, although Matthew is also considering a career in law enforcement.
I will keep everyone updated as we get information. At this point they will be married whenever he can get down to Las Vegas for a weekend civil ceremony.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
So Many Changes
First let me apologize for not updating my blog sooner. There has frankly so much going on in our lives that the time just escaped me. My parents spent the summer in Spokane after I picked them up and drove them up here, reversing that at the end of summer. I worked at a local community center for the colleges teaching GED to high risk teens. It was a great summer with these kids and it is a priviledge to serve them.
The biggest news I have is that Matthew did indeed complete his (Basic) training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Kevin and I were able to travel there for family day and graduation.
He then went to Fort Lenordwood, Missouri for his AIT (advanced training). He went back to Riverside on leave for almost a month and spent about 6 days with us. We were grateful for the time with him.
He is now in Alaska preparing for deployment in January to the middle east. We covet any prayers said on his behalf. We are so proud of him and this experience has been very good for him. He has been challenged and met the challenge. Way to go Matt!
Sarah is in the process of looking into film schools and considering moving to her friend Diego to New York late next year. This is a very exciting time as she considers her options.
During the few days Matt was with us, Sarah also came up. This is the first time we were together as a family in a year and a half. While we were together we enjoyed going out to eat, walking downtown and late night bowling. We really enjoyed each other's company. We also had the opportunity to take some pictures together. . . so here are some from that day!
As for me, I have exciting news about my pursuit to teach students about wildlife conservation! It turns out there is a wildlife refuge 25 miles from our house and I will begin volunteering there soon. The refuge has a variety of large mammals including moose, elk, cougar, cyote, porqupine, and river otter. They have a wonderful, large classroom with many of these animals on display. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life! I will definately keep you updated.
Monday, May 14, 2007
May 14th, 2007: Eventful Week
This past week has been pretty eventful. Our wonderful son, Matt, signed up to serve his country by joining the U.S. Army. He will be off to Fort Benning, Georgia by next Friday. He is excited to start this part of his life and we are happy for him, but have our concerns, as you might imagine. He will be learning to work for transportation, driving anything the Army owns. His specialty school will immediately follow his infantry training and will be in Missouri. He will get his orders after that.
This past week was also Joey the dog's first birthday. He has been a terrific companion and has helped us in our transition away from our family. (Not that anything can take the place of family.) He also keeps me very active as his favorite activity is hiking. There are forest trails just five miles from our house that are lovely. The trails snake closely to the river. It is heavenly. The temperature here has been in the 70s.
The last great thing is that I participated in the biggest footrace in the contry. It was 7.5 miles. I walked it with no problem at all and I wasn't even sore. (See photo. . . I'm on the far left side, hands in the air, all in black.) It was a wonderful day and a great way to begin spring here in the northwest!!!Wednesday, April 18, 2007
April 18, 2007
I thought I would post an update since it's been awhile.
My job has been interesting. There is a lot to learn when you start working in a prison. All of the "normal" rules do not apply there. For instance, the first few weeks I had to walk around holding my arms down as you are not allowed to touch offenders there. It makes teaching them interesting. You have students who do not want to be there and make that very clear to you. It's part of my job to convince (conjole, bring along, etc.) that they not only need a GED, but they really want one. (They just don't know it yet.) Some are won over, some not. We had a graduation in April and it was really wonderful to see people who did not believe in themselves, earn their GED.
My job has been interesting. There is a lot to learn when you start working in a prison. All of the "normal" rules do not apply there. For instance, the first few weeks I had to walk around holding my arms down as you are not allowed to touch offenders there. It makes teaching them interesting. You have students who do not want to be there and make that very clear to you. It's part of my job to convince (conjole, bring along, etc.) that they not only need a GED, but they really want one. (They just don't know it yet.) Some are won over, some not. We had a graduation in April and it was really wonderful to see people who did not believe in themselves, earn their GED.
I have not given up on my ongoing passion for endangered species and wildlife. I will not be returning to the zoo, but that is not the only way to be involved. I have become a member of Northwest Conservation (a local conservation group). I also continue to investigate educational, volunteer and working positions in wildlife conservation. I am certain I will pursue this area in one form or another. I'm just not sure how yet.
My life here is settling in. It's still a little wierd to be a permanent resident here. It's quite beautiful. The air is so clean and cool. It's getting to those temperatures where you can sit on the front porch and relax. Bliss.
Friday, February 9, 2007
February 9, 2007
It turns out that the ultrasound instructor position was for abdominal and not cardiac, so it's not even a job I have any training in. So I am happy to stay where I am.
I'm now considering what to do with my days since I work evenings. There are so many things I am interested in. I love art and photography. I'm thinking of taking a class or two during the day. There is a class at a local art store that starts with drawing. I would love to be able to sketch the cats up at the zoo. It would also be fun to sketch when the camping season starts, which won't be too much longer.
I'm now considering what to do with my days since I work evenings. There are so many things I am interested in. I love art and photography. I'm thinking of taking a class or two during the day. There is a class at a local art store that starts with drawing. I would love to be able to sketch the cats up at the zoo. It would also be fun to sketch when the camping season starts, which won't be too much longer.
Friday, January 26, 2007
What am I up to now?
I took several months to shift my thinking from zoo educator to being open to whatever opportunity was to come my way. I know that I love to teach, so that was a sure thing. I really reflected on what I wanted. The most important single quality of the work I seek is that it has to contribute to the world in a special way, to have a real influence in empowering people to do the things the things they have always dreamed of, and to realize a sense of both within me. I did a lot of soul searching and decided I would keep my mind open about the possibilities.
In November, an unusual opportunity presented itself. I applied for the job of teaching GED to inmates at a correctional facility. Again, I tried to make no assumptions, as I had never been in this environment, let alone work and teach there. I had an interview that included teaching a lesson. I was impressed with the facility as the state requires all inmates without a GED or high school diploma to pursue one while incarcerated. I didn't know what chances I had, but I stayed open to the possibility of this job. After two weeks, I was offered a position part time there.
I have since started and have found this venue very rewarding. These are people who are in the unique position to have their lives stopped and forced into a situation where they have the opportunity to have a single focus of reflection. I have found many of them very receptive to learning new things and dialoguing about their lives and where they went wrong. It's a bizarre place to work for sure, but it's a wonderful opportunity for me to make a huge difference in people's lives.
It turns out that simultaneously, I became eligible for a full time position teaching cardiac ultrasound (my first career) at the community college. (In my present position, I am actually a community college instructor within the same system.) I will not interview for this position until the sixth of February, so I am preparing for this interview. My current boss even hired me knowing that I was up for this position. Talk about miracles!
There will certainly be updates on this matter.
As far as my home life, we made a little addition in August when I stopped attending zoo school. Our little dog is named Joey. He is one half yorkie and the other half is sitzu/chi. This is a picture of him after his first snow. He loves the snow and its so much fun to watch him. He is a good boy and goes to dog school off and on. So far he knows how to sit, down (lay), stand, speak, say please (up on hind legs with front legs pumping up and down), and "leave it." This is where he will leave a treat alone until invited to get it. He will also stop at each corner and sit before we tell him "okay" to cross the street. Adorable.
In November, an unusual opportunity presented itself. I applied for the job of teaching GED to inmates at a correctional facility. Again, I tried to make no assumptions, as I had never been in this environment, let alone work and teach there. I had an interview that included teaching a lesson. I was impressed with the facility as the state requires all inmates without a GED or high school diploma to pursue one while incarcerated. I didn't know what chances I had, but I stayed open to the possibility of this job. After two weeks, I was offered a position part time there.
I have since started and have found this venue very rewarding. These are people who are in the unique position to have their lives stopped and forced into a situation where they have the opportunity to have a single focus of reflection. I have found many of them very receptive to learning new things and dialoguing about their lives and where they went wrong. It's a bizarre place to work for sure, but it's a wonderful opportunity for me to make a huge difference in people's lives.
It turns out that simultaneously, I became eligible for a full time position teaching cardiac ultrasound (my first career) at the community college. (In my present position, I am actually a community college instructor within the same system.) I will not interview for this position until the sixth of February, so I am preparing for this interview. My current boss even hired me knowing that I was up for this position. Talk about miracles!
There will certainly be updates on this matter.
As far as my home life, we made a little addition in August when I stopped attending zoo school. Our little dog is named Joey. He is one half yorkie and the other half is sitzu/chi. This is a picture of him after his first snow. He loves the snow and its so much fun to watch him. He is a good boy and goes to dog school off and on. So far he knows how to sit, down (lay), stand, speak, say please (up on hind legs with front legs pumping up and down), and "leave it." This is where he will leave a treat alone until invited to get it. He will also stop at each corner and sit before we tell him "okay" to cross the street. Adorable.June until now (Jan. 2007)
It has been a long journey since June 16th when I left the classroom. I actually did a blog updating my zoo experiences, and then blogger switched formats and all of my journaling was lost, so I will try to update you with the short version now.
We left Riverside, California on June 18th for our new home in the northwest. (My students, parents and friends know where this is, but I prefer to not give the exact location.) We had a long two day trip driving twelve hours each day, but finally arrived to our new home on Monday, June 19th. I was to start zoo school in about 10 days, so I was very busy getting the house functional during that time.
I began zoo school at the end of June. It was quite an experience. I quickly found out that the advertised 32 hour week was just about double that number. We most often worked 14 hour days and not allowed even a lunch break. It was very tough on me, being the age I am, but I was holding my own next to my twenty something coworkers. My day consisted of everything from weeding, to manning the entrance booth, to preparing meat for the big cats. But my favorite part of the day was at the beginning when we cleaned and cared for the big cats.
Even though I was only at the zoo for six weeks, I learned a lot about the operations of a zoo. The people who work in zoos keep long hours and there are many hours spent in other activities apart from animal care.
As far as the animal care goes, we did not clean the enclosures with the animals present (called an occupied enclosure.) As i learned, the majority of injuries and deaths occur when a keeper enters an enclosure that is presumed empty, when it is in fact, occupied. Because of this, keepers have a system of calling gates when they open and close them. Animals are shifted from one enclosure to another for the purpose of cleaning and observation. We observe any scat (commonly called poop) left, anything else unusual in the enclosure. We used a combination of bleach, dish soap and water to sanitize the living quarters. This actually helped me take better care of my own cats at home. We would also be required to observe the animal for general health, noting their coat, eyes and other concerns. This would be logged, along with the details of their scat, at the end of the day in their chart.
It was truly amazing to be so close to these amazing creatures. My time was short, but intense. In the end, my migraine syndrome got the best of me. I battled having a lot of numbness in my legs with the very real possibility that this could worsen into paralysis. I couldn't take the chance. It was just too risky. After a painful reflection, I felt I could not continue.
The thing I want my students most to know is that I do not consider this a failure. I suppose some people could look at it this way, but I choose not to. Had I tried this earlier in my life, I am confident that I would have been able to complete the program. I do not regret for a minute that I tried. I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Do not let the fear of failure ever stop you from trying something that you have dreamt about. Life is all about seeking your purpose, and it is not an end, but a process.
We left Riverside, California on June 18th for our new home in the northwest. (My students, parents and friends know where this is, but I prefer to not give the exact location.) We had a long two day trip driving twelve hours each day, but finally arrived to our new home on Monday, June 19th. I was to start zoo school in about 10 days, so I was very busy getting the house functional during that time.
I began zoo school at the end of June. It was quite an experience. I quickly found out that the advertised 32 hour week was just about double that number. We most often worked 14 hour days and not allowed even a lunch break. It was very tough on me, being the age I am, but I was holding my own next to my twenty something coworkers. My day consisted of everything from weeding, to manning the entrance booth, to preparing meat for the big cats. But my favorite part of the day was at the beginning when we cleaned and cared for the big cats.
Even though I was only at the zoo for six weeks, I learned a lot about the operations of a zoo. The people who work in zoos keep long hours and there are many hours spent in other activities apart from animal care.
As far as the animal care goes, we did not clean the enclosures with the animals present (called an occupied enclosure.) As i learned, the majority of injuries and deaths occur when a keeper enters an enclosure that is presumed empty, when it is in fact, occupied. Because of this, keepers have a system of calling gates when they open and close them. Animals are shifted from one enclosure to another for the purpose of cleaning and observation. We observe any scat (commonly called poop) left, anything else unusual in the enclosure. We used a combination of bleach, dish soap and water to sanitize the living quarters. This actually helped me take better care of my own cats at home. We would also be required to observe the animal for general health, noting their coat, eyes and other concerns. This would be logged, along with the details of their scat, at the end of the day in their chart.
It was truly amazing to be so close to these amazing creatures. My time was short, but intense. In the end, my migraine syndrome got the best of me. I battled having a lot of numbness in my legs with the very real possibility that this could worsen into paralysis. I couldn't take the chance. It was just too risky. After a painful reflection, I felt I could not continue.
The thing I want my students most to know is that I do not consider this a failure. I suppose some people could look at it this way, but I choose not to. Had I tried this earlier in my life, I am confident that I would have been able to complete the program. I do not regret for a minute that I tried. I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Do not let the fear of failure ever stop you from trying something that you have dreamt about. Life is all about seeking your purpose, and it is not an end, but a process.
Be Your Best
This blog is for all of those students, parents and friends who have been wondering how my persuit of my dreams have unfolded since leaving sixth grade teaching in June 2006. Let me say ahead of time how much I appreciate all of the kindness and support I have received over the last months. I have heard from many of you as I continue on my journey. The purpose of this blog is to (hopefully) inspire and encourage all of you as you live to be the best that you can be.
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