Kids

I think it is so interesting to see the similarities between the students I have now and the ones I had in the past. I might have a basis for another degree! I had my sixth graders line up in birthday order without talking or mouthing words. They could use only non-verbal methods to get in order. They were silent when they did this but both in WI and here the birthdays in June-July-and August clump together. They somehow can't figure out how to line up properly. At first I thought it might be an age thing--in WI the summer kids are the youngest, but that is not the case here. The cut-off varies in CA but at WP it is sometime in the fall/winter. What an interesting phenomenon.

Overall, it has been easy to get back in the swing of things. My sixth graders are full of questions including my least favorite of all: "What if..." The lunches still amaze me and some have even commented on my pasta I had the last two days. I wouldn't have thought pasta with sauce odd. It would be interesting to know what their diets are at home. Maybe I will have to work that in as some sort of science project to end my curiosity. 

The First Day

Kids are pretty much the same where ever you are. The kids at WPL are not much different then the kids at HCL. They were considerate and respectful for the most part. Thirty-one kids in one room = chatty kids, and they are nervous about the first day. It was fun over all. I slaughtered so many names but after I put my maiden name on the board they understood that last names can be hard. It is fun having a stairwell that is on the outside of the school and there is something cute about kids eating their lunches on benches outside. I was not used to seeing the array of lunches from sushi to noodles in thermoses, lunchables to seaweed-wrapped sandwich-looking items. It was fun! Overall, it was great day. I can't wait to go home and put my feet up!

Sick

I had a sore throat on Saturday and it has gotten progressively worse each day. Today I woke up and ran to the grocery store to pick up some things to make breakfast and a picnic lunch for the guys. I made breakfast and packed their lunch and they were off around 10:15. I fully intended on going to 11 o'clock church but I laid down for a half an hour before it began and could not get back up. I tried. I sat up and went to get up but I felt like I was hit by a truck. I felt so achy and congested that I laid back down and decided to stay home. A little while later I decided to take some ibuprofen and a cold ease then I fell asleep and woke up around 2:15. I felt much better so I gathered my things and set off for school. The other 6th grade teacher was there (she was on vacation last week so I hadn't met her yet) and she seems like a really nice lady. I made copies and gave my room another once over before coming back home. I am really hoping this cold is gone by tomorrow when I have 27-31 little faces looking at me all day! I can't believe school is starting!

We have had a really nice time with Miguel and Jack. We went to North Beach, China Town, Haight/Ashbury, and the ball game yesterday which was a lot of fun. We couldn't find parking around Haight Ashbury yesterday so I dropped the guys off and went to Golden Gate Park. I watched the lawn bowlers for quite awhile then decided to find out where the "music" I heard was coming from. It was a junk band made up of hippies and homeless people and they looked like they were having a good time. I was really wishing I had my camera for that! You just never know what you are going to find in San Francisco.

The guys went to Muir woods today and since school is starting tomorrow and I was just there with my parents, I decided to stick around here. I am sure glad I did! I think I needed the rest. 

MJ

Miguel and Jack finally made it to the Oakland Airport at 4:30a.m. They were supposed to be in at 10:30p.m., but the severe storms and excess rain kept them grounded. Marc slept on a bench by the baggage claim waiting. He knew they were delayed, but he was still about an hour early to pick them up. Today they are touring Alcatraz on sleep deprivation.

Pictures of August

Here are the pictures of my classroom. (Finally!) It has been a busy week!

This is where I will stand to teach. You can see my bulletin boards are staring blankly back at me...

This is where I was taking the picture from. My mom helped me sew up the blue skirt (inspired by the one Judy made me last year:) and hides some graffiti that covered the faux wood contact paper.

 This is my bulletin board devoted to drama! We are starting a program here this year and I wanted people to see some of my "work."

Another picture of my blank bulletin boards and pluto...now what am I going to do with him?

Today

There are a lot of new forms and paperwork to understand at my job and it was really overwhelming today at our our "kick-off" meeting. I am so thankful for some great teachers to help me through! I do miss my friends at HCL, especially today.

My goal is to have my room completely done and ready to go by 1:00p.m. on Friday. We have some friends coming into town this weekend and I want to enjoy the last weekend of my official summer. We are catching up with the Brew Crew on Saturday and doing some sightseeing and relaxing. It will be a fun weekend but I have a lot of work to do before then...

Surf's Up

Who knew most surf music around SF was instrumental? We had no idea, but we experienced it first hand last night. The drummer in the praise band at church (consequently my coworker's husband) is in a surf band and we went to see his set. Most songs were quite short and the only "words" occurred when they randomly shouted out their band name (Coppertones). With only three members in the band, it reminded me of old 50's surf music. There was an electric guitar (with a very tin-like sound), a bass guitar, and obviously a drummer. The assemblage of people for an event like this is not what you think either. These aren't the teenage kids actually out surfing. Use your imagination. Surf's up, dude.

On the way to school

I brought the camera to school to take pictures of my classroom but forgot to take some! I did take two pictures on my way to school so you can have just a little sense of the beautiful mile between our yellow house and my school. It was such a beautiful day, there really isn't a line in one of the pictures between the sky and the ocean. It was difficult being inside when there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. I did attempt to ride my bike to school, but I realized I am not quite ready for the hills of SF so turned around halfway. Hopefully Marc and I will be able to take a ride this weekend. It is hard to believe that only five months ago was our wedding. Time does fly! Enjoy your weekend!

Flat

It was one of those days. I went out to my car and realized I forgot something and had to go back inside. Traffic seemed impatient with me and I had a lot of errands to run. I ran my errands then finally left to go to school around 1 o'clock. On my way I was enjoying the views. My favorite view on the way to school is a big palm tree in a front yard where you can see the ocean in the distance. Today was an unusually beautiful day and I even thought about turning around to grab the camera. I decided I was getting into school late enough so I continued. I was a block away from school and I heard a pop and a whooshing sound. I thought it was my tire but I wasn't sure. I tried to pretend it was one of the cars around me, however, when the light turned green and I began to move, I heard the tell-tale klumph of my wheel. I had nowhere to pull over so I decided to drive the block to school. Thankfully I have roadside assistance. There was no way I could have changed the tire myself. A nice gentleman came and changed it for me. When he found out my husband worked for Adobe, he wanted his number so Marc could help him de-bug his Adobe program. Thankfully he forgot to ask again before he left. Afterward, I continued to drop things in my classroom the rest of the day. I even almost staple-gunned my finger...don't ask. I guess it was just one of those days. 

Dinner with the "boss"

I guess I should clarify. We did not have Marc's boss over, officially. One of the teachers at WP took me to the teacher store today and she thought it was quite ambitious of me to have the boss over after just a little over a month at Adobe. Tyler is actually Marc's superior, but not his boss. Not the person who hired Marc. He is the guy who supervised his independent study at MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where Marc went to school) and sort-of recruited him to work for Adobe. Dinner went well. They are more like our friends then Marc's boss.

My classroom is completely shaping up. I have 1 of 6 bulletin boards done. I really miss the one bulletin board arrangement I had at HCL. The others are coming along but I need to actually read what I will be teaching in a week and a half before I do at least the other three. I have a lot of  work ahead of me! 

Otherwise, all is going well for us in SF. Thank you for your comments, thoughts, and prayers! 

Cleaning Up

I had 6 of my students helping me today and the room is really cleaning up. There were art supplies in there from when an art class was taught in the room, old encyclopedias, old books and boxes of old text books that all found new homes. I actually have some some room in there now! I had to find space for 60 survival kits which I stashed in the new empty spaces. I am wondering if it is a California law to have the survival kits in the room. They have packets of water, dehydrated food, first aid supplies, and a glow stick. 

I am stuck at home the rest of the day waiting for the TV to arrive. As I wait, I have to work on typing my fire escape plan and earthquake plan...I am glad the last teacher left theirs up from last year! I can use it as a guide. I am thinking of all my friends at HCL this week! I miss you all! I keep waiting for one of you to peek your head in my room:)

A Normal Day at School

My classroom has required a lot of work. I have been getting rid of old text books and materials dating back to when I was in middle school. It is amazing what can collect in a classroom. I started going through the science equipment and decided I needed some bins. My friend, Judy, helped "bin me up" a few years ago, and I have been relatively organized since. The assistant principal took me to Target to buy bins and organizational tools to get the science room in tip-top shape. When I got back I started pulling ancient boxes from the dusty shelves. I haven't taught science before, but is it really necessary to have literally thousands of test tubes? I can't get over how many test tubes I have pulled out of the closets! I think past teachers have not dug as deeply into the closets and didn't even realize they were there. Maybe you do need that many test tubes...I guess I will find out this year. Pictures as soon as my room is presentable.

A "Normal" Week

Marc and I just realized that this might be the first "normal" week since getting married almost five months ago. When we got back from our honeymoon, Marc's stuff was in boxes and we were trying to decided about moving to SF. Marc never fully settled in on 10th street especially after we made the decision to move. Two weeks ago we were unpacking and preparing for my parents, last week my parents were here and now we have this "normal" week. 

I am off to school to clean-clean-clean. Meetings start next week and I have much to do! 

A Sunday Afternoon

We have been going to the Saturday night church so Sunday has really become our day of rest. We finished reading the paper (Early Sunday that came out on Saturday) I bought for my dad the day before then decided it would be a good day to go school shopping. A girl can always use a new pair of shoes! It is really difficult to find a pair that you can stand in all day. I have never felt comfortable teaching while I am sitting down. Even in taller chairs I feel like I am being lazy or something. We decided to go check out the shoes at Kohl's. 

We were successful at Kohl's and did some more window shopping for some of the rooms that need some work. We got some ideas but we are not sure when we are going to execute our plans for the bedroom or the bathroom. 

Afterward, we came back home and decided to take a hike up Mt. Davidson which is the highest point in SF. We were going to hike up another evening, but it was getting dark so we went to another place that was a little better lit. On the top of the hill is an enormous cross and we can actually see the top of it from our house. (Look closely in the top left picture.) It is less than a five minute drive to get to the base of the hill. 

Going up the hill I realized how out-of-shape I am! I need to get a program going! Anyway, it made me think of the inclines on the base of Harney Peak in South Dakota. Mt. Davidson is only a 15 minute hike, but the inclines are pretty steep. From the top, we had panoramic views of the city. It was beautiful. It was somehow more beautiful than twin peaks because you had to work to get the views--you couldn't just drive your car to the top. The cross is extremely impressive and you can't fully realize the size unless you see it in person. To top it off, check out those blue skys...I could get used to them! 

By the way, if you want to see an enlarged view of a picture, just click on it! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Favorite Things: The North Beach

I think sometimes there is so much to look at that your eyes gloss over things that you should see or notice. There are signs up for many of the tourist areas including Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf. For some reason, my eyes glossed over the third listing on the sign: North Beach. I also glossed over the map of Italy next to the arrow and words North Beach.

We decided to go to one of the more well-known restaurants, The Stinking Rose, earlier in the week and we had the distinct pleasure of visiting North Beach. With an Italian flag on every light post, it is clear what this area stands for. The main street, Columbus, is lined with Italian restaurants like Mona Lisa and Michelangelo as well as coffee shops (you won't find Starbucks here), small art stores, and boutiques. We picked up Burgers (www.burgermeistersf.com) there on Friday and found a great truffle shop (www.xoxtruffles.com) across the street.  

My mom and dad are flying out today. :(

Back for more chocolate

Yes, we went back to Ghirardelli today. My friend, Cindy, is right. The ice cream and chocolate is like no other. It is so good. My mom wants to go back tomorrow. 

We also went down Lombard Ave. again (pictured) and I drove. It is fun and I think I would take all of our guests there. Muir Woods, on the other hand, might be a different story. I don't understand why California builds steep sloping roads along mountain cliffs and refuses to put up some guard rails. It was only about a mile of the drive, but I was pretty white-knuckled. My dad drove us up out of Muir Woods which was on the cliff side of the road...I couldn't do it. I can't imagine taking a yellow school bus down there!

757

I know some of you think I am being a drama queen when I say it is cold here. I am not the only one! Note that it is August and see the camera man? He has a knit hat, scarf, and winter coat on. Notice the scarf over his face? It was really cold! I had on a sweatshirt, coat, and a Brewers blanket. Yes, Chad, a Brewers blanket. I am not quite a Giant's fan yet.

A Full Day of Food

We started out the day buying Muni passes (www.sfmta.com) down at the main station on Market Street which is a few blocks from union square. (Muni is the name given to the public transportation in SF--the trolly, busses, train and streetcars. The subway is called the BART. A muni pass or passport can be purchased for one-three-or seven days and allows you unlimited rides on any of the Muni transportation.) Marc dropped us off on his way to work, and we were off to see the city via public transportation. 

We lined up and after a short wait, we were on our trolly set for Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around the Wharf until lunchtime. We decided to eat at Boudin even though I offered to make a sweep through the seafood street vendors for my adventurous foodie father. He decided to go with the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. After lunch, we walked along the Bay toward the Alcatraz docking area. My parents set off for the Rock and I set off to shop. I took the streetcar back downtown toward Union Square, mailed my friend Rollie's birthday present (his birthday is Friday), and took off for a few shops. I bought two sweaters (it's cold here and they were both on sale), then decided to head back down to the wharf to meet my parents. I waited at Peet's Coffee shop (www.peets.com) next to the docks and read. Two hours later my two sun burt parents came back from Alcatraz with some great pictures and stories. One of the convicts who was confined at Alcatraz was selling books at the bookstore on the Rock and my dad bought one. 

We took the streetcars (just because they are fun) to California street then hopped on a trolly that travels the other trolly line. We took that trolly all the way to the end of its route and half way back. We jumped on another trolly and went down to Ghirardelli Square. (That picture is for you, Cindy!) My dad and I attempted to spoil our dinner (Marc helped me out) but it didn't work. Marc caught up with us and took us to our dinner location, The Stinking Rose. (www.thestinkingrose.com) This restaurant specializes in everything garlic. Even garlic martinis and garlic ice cream. We did not try either, but the food was delicious. It was not as garlic infused as I thought it would be, but it was still very good. 

On our way home, we went over twin peaks and noticed some fireworks in the distance. Marc turned on the am sports station and sure enough, Bonds hit the record breaking home run. We have tickets for the outfield for tomorrow night. We were hoping he would hold out one more day. Maybe we'll catch 757...

Duck, Duck...

We had an adventurous day in SF. We drove around some of the sites we missed on Saturday and found some that I had never been to. We drove through Golden Gate Park and even visited Shakespeare Garden. It was in a little disrepair, but had a charming gate which was unfortunately missing a letter. Good thing I have a brilliant husband who knows a little bit about Adobe Photoshop. 

We drove through the Haight Street area and took pictures of the famous skyline in Alamo Square. We saw Japan Town and drove to China Town. There we shopped and ate at an interesting restaurant. My dad has had some interesting dishes since he has arrived and they haven't come from my kitchen. Yesterday he had a chicken liver sandwich and rabbit sausage for dinner. Today's dish was deep-fried duck tongue. I never really thought about a duck tongue before today. I suppose a duck needs one for Quacking and such, but I really didn't think about eating it. He had a plate of about 20 little duck tongues and they looked disgusting. He enjoyed them and I am sure they are a delicacy somewhere--probably China Town (and China). The place was reminiscent of my travels in Taiwan with their lazy susans in the middle of the table and interesting things on the menu. My mom and I were happy they had egg rolls and sweet and sour chicken on the menu. My mom also ordered something that we picked around and my dad ate to wash down the tongues. After lunch we took a short walk up a steep hill to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company and bought a bag of fresh fortune cookies for Marc. Then we drove around North Beach and Telegraph hill which I had never really ventured to before. 

Afterward, I drove down Lombard, the famous crooked street with beautiful houses and gardens. My mom thought the hills around were some of the steepest in the city so I decided to take her down one of my favorite streets, Filmore. It has two hills where you can't see the street ahead until your car is almost vertical.  

Driving around we found the Palace of Fine Arts built for the 1915 Pacific-Panama International Exhibition. You can see it from many points of the city, but you can't fathom the size until you are standing next to it. We also drove through the Presidio which is an old military base transformed into housing and park area. We drove along the ocean and captured views of the Golden Gate from remarkable angles. The sun was even shining this afternoon which was a nice treat. Hopefully it will be nice for my parents trip to the rock tomorrow.  

Wineaux

We left the fog and traveled to sunny Sonoma and Napa Valleys. We started at the fig pantry in Sonoma and enjoyed a brunch sandwich. An art fair covered the square in Sonoma so we checked it out then shopped around the square. We made our way up highway 12 and over to Glen Ellen to visit The Valley of the Moon Winery. It was interesting to see wine country with grapes on the vines. However, the hills and grass around were very brown and dry. We traveled around Sonoma some more then took the mountain pass between the two valleys to go to Napa. There we tried a new winery, Alpha and Omega. It is the newest winery in Napa, open only a year and a month. We left with only two bottles but had an enjoyable time talking with the gentleman pouring wine. We then continued north along the highway toward St. Helena. We went to Sutter Home (sorry wine snobs) and they told us about a great little place behind them that specialized in port. We entered and it was nothing like the other wineries around, but memorable. The pictures included today are from the winery and their "website." We went to the Culinary Institute of America, then ate at Mustards Grill. (www.mustardsgrill.com) Afterward, we continued down through Napa and back to San Francisco. I also included a picture from the park across from the bridge. It was really cold up there!   

Our First Guests

My parents made it safely to California and we are excited to have our first house guests. We took a tour of the house which they said they were surprised how big it is, then we took a driving tour around town. The fog was rolling over the hills as we left the fog belt and entered into San Francisco's downtown. We went to church and then spent the rest of the evening eating some homemade food. Tomorrow we will be heading north, hopefully into the sunny valleys of Sonoma and Napa. Salute!

The day before

I feel like I have accomplished a lot already today. I put another coat of paint on the bathroom, went to the post office to check on our forwarded mail, wal-greens to pick up my photo order, school to dump more garbage in the dumpster, Target, Marshalls, Trader Joe's, and Safeway (the local grocery store). I am ready for our guests (my parents are coming tomorrow!). I went back home and after I hauled everything in, Marc came through the door. No one on his team came into work today. I guess that is California living! 

Today is very foggy, but here are two pictures I took yesterday outside of our house. 

Other pictures...

If you want to see all of 

the pictures I uploaded today, you might have to click on the August Archive or click on previous blogs. The first post for today is titled "dining room" so look for that. I wanted to divide them up because the pictures paste in strange ways and the program isn't sophisticated enough to allow me to manipulate them. My pre-publish view is very different from what actually posts.

Saying that, here is a conglomeration of pictures...

The stairs going up to the kitchen from the yellow arts/crafts room.

The "chandelier" in the upstairs hallway. I have tried to clean it...I am glad my mom is coming! Hopefully she can help me finish it to it's 1950s luster.

Speaking of 1950s luster, this little alcove with my retro Mona Lisa picture must have been the location of the telephone. We actually do have a landline at our house but I am not sure what the number is...

The little pink bird on the yellow fabric is my creative outpour when I could no longer unpack boxes...he is going to be my little coaster next to my sewing machine.

Our laundry machine which is next to that little bathroom. I am going to paint it and hopefully give it some new life. The home dec. shows say that you should make your small pocket bathrooms, the ones guests will most likely use, the most attention. We shall see...

Finally, our little mailbox which has been quite empty...if you need our address, feel free to e-mail me and I'll send it to you! Hint..hint... 

I had more pictures to share with you, but I think I hit the limit because it is not letting me upload them...more tomorrow!

 

Today's Project...

I am going to paint this bathroom (the one in the basement) white. It has a new coat on the walls, but the shelves need it so I am going to paint the entire room white. There are no windows so it can use all the light it can get!

Sun Room

Too many boxes to see!!! Ok, here is one picture.

Our Bedroom

It is a work in progress. You can see the french door into the sun room...

Upstairs Bath

We are still looking for a shower curtain to go around the claw-foot tub...

Living Room

The living room will be more together when we have our entertainment center and can put away a few more boxes. It has become our dump zone as well. There are two suitcases from the temp house that need attention, but it is coming together. I am also going to work on some artwork for the space, but I haven't been able to find the canvas size I want. We will also need to get some additional seating for next to the fireplace. It is a little bare right now. 

Guest Room

Our guest room is still under construction but will be ready soon!