Meanwhile, 3 years later.....

I cannot believe so much time has gone by. Where to start? First an update on the kids. April and Dave are the proud parents of 4 year old "B" and are expecting another baby in December 2010. We are thrilled. Katy and Jeff got married 2.5 years ago in Austin and are doing fabulously well. Katy is a personal trainer. Meghan came home from her Peace Corps service in Togo (I got to visit her for 2 weeks in June of 2008) and promptly left to teach English for a year in South Korea. She came home 7 months ago and has struggled, because of the economy, to find a job. Finally, she has put together some good ones and we are enjoying having her at home with Chingu, the Jindo she rescued in SK. Jonathan is in the USAF stationed in Okinawa and enjoying it. He is a jet mechanic. Valerie is in Dallas working as a secretary and bar tender.

After visiting Meghan in Africa, I flew straight to Denver. Chris got a job there. It took 4 months to find and move into a house. We finally found the house we loved and moved in October 2008. I got a job working for Denver Public Schools as a 1/2 time SPED teacher 1/2 time 5th grade math teacher. Jumping in to the fray in the middle of the school year was hard......especially since I had not been in a public school setting for over 4 years. Anyway, somehow I survived and grew to love the students and staff. I love the folks I am working with. We work with a tough population.

Last year I lost 48 lb. I am thrilled. My journey for better health continues.

School let out for me for the summer yesterday. This past year I taught 1/2 day SPEd and 1/2 day 3rd grade literacy. I love third graders.....so, so sweet and adorable. I learned a lot this year.

Next year I'll be teaching 5th grade literacy full time.....no more SPED, which thrills me!!

So, as of yesterday, I had an 80 day "weekend" before me, full of possibilities, full of time to do the things I need and want to do.

My to-do list is as follows:

1. Continue and beef up my workout routine and re-dedicate myself to the weight loss quest. I am so close.......I can do this!! Only 15 lb. to go!!! Chingu can help me with this since he needs to be walked twice a day anyway. I must remember to wear my weight lifting gloves so I don't damage the nerves in my hands!!!!
2. Genealogy this summer....no excuses!! I must get organized.
3. Paint 2 bathrooms and the downstairs bedroom. Fix some of the "issues" in the master bathroom and make drapes for the basement windows. Consider doing drapes for the living room/dining room.
4. Practice the piano daily.
5. Finish up my ELA grad classes.
6. Prepare for next year.
7. Improve my artisan bread baking. Focus on sour dough bread. (Will this conflict with goal #1?)
8. Get caught up on all the TV I never get to watch: 24, Damages, The Tudors.
9. LDS temple attendance 1 time weekly.
10. Project Esperanza
11. Water color painting!!!!!!!!!! (Perhaps I'll forgo the drapes; this sounds a lot more appealing.) I want to put together an art show entry portfolio for early next year.
12. Relax

Ok, well, that list makes me tired. Anyway, day 79 has been spent driving up to Rapid City, SD in preparation for our trip to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow. We had Godfather's Pizza tonight---it is divine!!!! We have had a fun time talking in the car and yucking it up in the hotel room. Chris is super-stressed but is visibly beginning to relax.