Rejuvenated.

One week ago began my spring vacation from work as a teacher. It came super late this year, but was just in time. I have a few days left to relish in relax-mode...so I am living it up the best way I know how: sitting in bed catching up on the latest episodes of The Office. After checking facebook this morning, I became aware that last night's episode was Michael Scott's farewell episode - and I immediately got onto hulu.com to watch it. Good stuff, The Office. I still love it after all these years. :)

Spring break started out fantastic, with a visit from my parents and Kevin! Last Friday night we went on a double date (ha!) to see an Angels v Red Sox game. It was super fun, because Kevin got to experience the depth of insight my dad has on all things baseball, and my mom and I did a lot of people-watching and chatting. Saturday morning we had a nice breakfast, then got our hiking shoes on (er...running shoes) and headed to the Claremont Wilderness Trail, where we enjoyed the beautiful day hiking the 5 mile loop. My dad took some pics, but he has yet to send them to me...so I'll post those when I can. Saturday evening we had another double date, this time to the theatre (please read in a British accent). We saw Water for Elephants, and we all liked it a lot.

Easter Sunday Kevin and I went to my church for a celebration, while my parents went down to my cousins'church. Later, Kevin dropped me off at a Starbucks in Laguna Beach so I could work, while he headed back home for work. My parents picked me up a bit later, and we had a yummy Easter meal with all the Cali cousins - which is always a fun time.

Monday my parents took off after a very fun weekend. I am so thankful for the time we got to spend together - taking in a ball game, enjoying the outdoors, eating good food, and for them to meet Kevin. It was fantastic, and went without a hitch. That afternoon, my loving roommate offered to help me in yet another shopping excursion so I could get the perfect outfit for my teaching demo the following day. Rose is a great person to shop with, especially when it comes to buying professional stuff (an area in which I hugely lack in knowledge!) I ended up getting two nice tops and a skirt. And to top it off, I got a discount for being an educator. Woo hoo!

Tuesday was the day I had been waiting for....I had already had one sit-down interview at this school, and the last step was for me to teach a 20 minute lesson to their students. In addition to the 16 or so kids in the room, about 6 teacher/administrators were present as well. Honestly, I give God all the credit for the work I did before my lesson, and for the way it flawlessly turned out. Of course I was a bit nervous the whole time, but the kids were SUPER great and enthusiastic, and participated even when I asked them to come up front to act and wear funny costumes. I left the school feeling really great - and am still waiting to hear back from them...the hope is that I get the job and can be done with this whole job-searching thing...but if not, I trust God will continue to lead and give me strength.
After making a few phone calls, and changing into more comfy driving clothes, I headed down to Oceanside to officially start my vacay. Kevin’s parents live in a quaint beach house about a five minute walk from the ocean. In the back, there is a little guest house – and they let me come stay in it for a few days! Kevin’s parents are super fun and hospitable to their guests. I have eaten like a queen the past few days, and have truly been rejuvenated during my stay. Kevin’s mom is a nurse, so we have had tons of good convos about RA, exercise, and diet. Recently I have been feeling the urge to truly lead a healthier lifestyle – so I decided to read up on the South Beach Diet. I bought the book a few days ago, and am loving it. My goal in all of this is not to get super skinny so I can look good in my swim suit this summer, but it has much more to do with keeping my chronic pain to a minimum, and to have a healthy heart. Kevin’s mom has been super supportive and helpful in this latest endeavor, and I owe a lot of credit to my mom, sister, and roommate Rose for pushing me to think differently. So far it’s going pretty well – I have read that when you cleanse your body of all the sugar that is present in so many foods, the addiction to that sugar will subside. I am still waiting for that, but if my addiction can truly be beaten, I am willing to try anything!
Now it is Friday morning, and my Spring vacay is about to end in a few days. This morning I woke up and said goodbye to Kevin – he is heading to Texas for a few days to visit his brother. I am heading back home today, but I intend to live it up for the rest of my time. And that is all for now!