OK So I pretty much suck at blogging!

Life just seems to move so quickly I can't seem to find the time to sit here and log. Anyway, I have had one of the best summer breaks of my life. I am so greatful that I get so much time off to visit friends and family and go on new adventures. It is funny because for so long I thought "Kids have it great; they have all summer to hang out with friends and play all day. However, they don't even realize what they have. By the time they are old enough to realize it the summer breaks are over." So let me tell you how awesome this has been because I have seriously enjoyed every minute of it. I went to San Diego to visit Daniel and had an amazing time. I got to see Lori, Tara, and many other friends. San Diego is a beautiful, little city and I cannot wait to go back. My favorite part had to be sitting in the park, drinking champagne, eating cheese and bread, and talking with some of my favorite people in the world.
Then I got to visit Kristen in Chicago. It is amazing to me that I instantly can feel so close to someone who I hardly ever see and who was really only in my life for a relatively short period of time. I adored meeting her family and friends and seeing the world I know that she was so homesick for while she was living in California. The only bad part was the humidity. I have NEVER experianced anything like it in my life. I don't think I could live there but it was great to visit. My faorite part was sitting with Kristen in the mornings drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and laughing uncontrollably about nothing. Some friends it does not matter how much time has past: The minute you sit down and talk the time melts away and again you are those 16 year old girls gossiping about boys, friends, and the crazy adventures your life has taken you on. And for that Kristen will always have a very special place in my heart.
Then I went home for a week and a half. No matter where I live, Pleasanton will always be home. It is the "Cheers" in my life. Every day is filled with friends, family and love. I can never seem to get everything done in the time I have there. I got to see many friends but not everyone. I feel more loved in Pleasanton than anywhere else in the world. Between my family and friends my time seems to slip away and I always leave wishing I had more.
After that I went to Texas to go to a wedding for Loren's cousin. It was quite the event. I had no idea, but I guess in Texas weddings are a huge affair. I ave never seen a wedding that seemed to last for days on end. It was beautiful and they had an amazing live band. Usually at weddings live bands are hardly ever used and if they are they kinda suck, but this one was fabulous. MY favorite part of that trip was watching Loren with his family. Even though he is a grown man there is something about being with his family that allows me to see this little boy inside of him that adores spending time with his cousins, aunts and uncles. I really got to see the make up of who he is and know that the parts of him that I love most originated with these people. Everyone embraced me and treated me like I was one of the family. I had an amazing time and Loren and I spent teh evenings discussing what we would like to do differently at our wedding. It was a very special time.
So, school starts again next week. Part of me is sad to have my break done. Most of me feels young and happy. My summer break was awesome! I am truly blessed to have these breaks and such wonderful people in my life to share them with. I am especially greatful to have them at a time in my life when I can seriously apprieciate them in a completely different way. Thank you to everyone who made my vacation amazing! I love you all from the bottom of my heart.

Teachable moments

Alright so I am trying to figure out how to add pictures to this site..............I think I still need some work. I have no idea why this is sideways, but here is one of my students working on our science fair project. This is MY classroom. Sometimes I still can't believe it. My favorite part is that I have a huge wall of windows. All of the other teachers cover the windows with posters and boxes but I can not stand the thought of it. I love that at any moment I can look outside and see the snow capped mountains and feel the sun warming the classroom. My classroom is huge. This is taken in the middle of the classroom so you can see how big it is. I am really lucky.

So I can not figure out how to rotate these pictures but, I really wanted to tell you about this student. His name is Alejandro. When he came to me in JUly he could not read or write. He has been retained many times. He is eleven and in fourth grade. Just as a point of reference my sister is 12 and in seventh grade. So I kinda made it my goal to get this kid reading. He has come every day before school and we have worked on reading tons. I have referred him for extra help but they tested his IQ and because it is so low, but not low enough, he does not qualify for any extra support (gotta love the CA programs). So, I usually read the questions on tests to him, he tells me the answers and we work together to write them down. Well, I wanted to see if he could do the test on his own so I told him I was not going to help him this week. He has a great attitude so he sits down and I see him struggling with the work in front of him. I had to walk away to keep from picking up the paper and reading it to him. About a half hour later he walks up to me with a huge smile on his face. He says, "Ms. Herbert, guess what? Remember how you gave me these tests and I couldn't read any of the words on this sheet. Well, now I can read all of the words and I can use part of the question in my answer just the way you showed me." He was so proud of himself it made me want to cry. I told him how proud of him I was and how hard he has worked to get where he is. When school seems like endless amounts of paperwork and I question if I am making a difference I will forever think of this kid and how proud he was at all of his hard work. It is moments like these that remind me of why I became a teacher.

I am Coming To Town...

I am so excited, I will be home tomorrow. I love Christmas. For the past ten years I have loved when my dad comes home with all of his teacher gifts. I have always rummaged through his stuff, and wished I had my own teacher gifts. I just got my own official teacher gifts. It was so fun. We through a Christmas party and as the kids were leaving they told me it was the best Christmas party ever. It is moments like this that reminds me why I became a teacher. I will see you all soon!!!

I am Thankful For

I just had an amazing weekend at home with my family and friends.
This year I have so much to be thankful for:
My family, who drives me crazy, but without I would not be complete.
My friends Lori, Brandon, Juni, Avery, Jeni, Daniel, Leslie and Steve for the wonderful weekend they showed me........Friday was awesome. Thanks a million!
My wonderful boyfriend who makes living in southern California worth it.
Mark for being my friend and always remembering to call me on every holiday.
Bean for being one of my only constants in life. I'm sorry we didn't get to hang out this weekend. I love you!
My class for continuing to inspire me to become the best teacher I can be.
My only friend in Ontario Nancy for keping me somewhat sane.
Everyone else who has touched my life and changed me in some way.
I am also thankful for:
My education, having a place to sleep, enough to eat, and never really having to worry about what my life will be like tomorrow. Seccond chances, new experiances, love, rediscovering myself daily, challenges, and so much more. Treasure each day as a present!

A Fallen Hero

Today I found out that one of my "heroes" passed away. I am still in such shock I don't think it has hit me yet. As most people know I spent every summer growing up at a camp located on Kirkwood Lake. There was this girl that was 3 years older than me, which now doesn't seem like any difference but as a teenager seemed huge. Her name was Rina and her camp name was Sierra. Sierra was a very special person who was very mellow and calm. She was one of those people that you hung out with and they just made you feel relaxed. I loved spending time with her and she always had the best advice. I would tell her about boy troubles and girl drama and she always seemed to know what to say. I remember one time (I was probably 16) I was sitting by the lake thinking and wondering if I would ever find a guy. I remember thinking I would be alone forever. Rina came up behind me and started telling me a story about this guy in her dorm room who saw a picture of me and asked if he could meet me. I never even told her what I was thinking about but her comment made me feel a million times better. I remember thinking it was like she read my mind. Looking back, I am not even sure if there was a guy but to a sixteen year old girl, it was the best thing she could have said. I looked up to her so much. She moved to Montana and became a highschool teacher where I am sure she touched the lives of many 16 year old girls. I hadn't spoken to her in a few years but I always hoped that we would get back in touch again. I thought about her often. She recently took her own life. Most of me is sad, but part of me is angry. How could such a beautiful person not realize how wonderful they really are? I wonder if she thought about all of the people that she may not talk to every day, but who still hold a very special place in their hearts. Maybe it is a sign, that we should slow down and really make sure to tell people how much we love them and how special they are. It is funny how people from your past can impact you so much and when you hear something so tragic like this, you can revert back to that lost sixteen year old. I just wish she was here to comfort me again. Sierra you will be truley missed. Thank you for being one of my heroes.

Devistation in a whole new light

So, I came home yesterday. We flew over the mountains, black smoke encircled the plane and the sky turned orange. After some very bad turbulance we landed. I walked out of the plane and the heat instantly hit my body. It is in the mid to high nineties here. I looked out and you could not even see the huge mountains that overlook our city. Ash and smoke consume the air. The sun was completely red and the smoke was so thick you cold look straight at it without even wincing. Luckily, the wind seems to have stopped so this morning I could see the mountains. As I opened my door to get in my car this morning a huge cloud of ash filled my lungs and eyes. The wind was blowing so hard that it blew the ash through the vent into the car. Loren's car was filled with ash too. The kids at school are not allowed to play outside because the air quality is so poor. We are lucky though, we are the only school district in the area that is still in session. Fire has ripped this area open and people are left with ruins. The one friend I have made here lives up on the mountain and on Monday they were given one hour to grab their things and evacuate. She has no idea what is happening at her house and is currently living at the Hilton for God knows how long. Her daughter who lived two miles from her has been notified that she has lost everything. Her home is in ashes. My friend sits around waiting for the phone to ring hoping it is not her insurance company notifying her that she has lost everything. She calls her house to see if the answering machine picks up (the only clue that the house has not been burned down). I feel so bad for her and her family. The sky is still orange and everything is covered in ash. A half million people in San Diego have been evacuated and are living in the Charger stadium. It really puts everything in perspective and makes me realize how lucky I truly am.

I can't believe tomorrow is Tuesday!!

So, I have been in Pleasanton for a little over a week now. I go home tomorrow. I don't want to go. I have had so much fun this week: Coffee with Lori, dropping the kids off at school, heading to the park, sushi, cuddles with my sister, fighting with my dad, Raider games, trips to Costco, learning the local drama, pizza with Bean and her family, hugs from Jeni, waiting for the cable guy. It's so funny. There is really nothing special that happened, really it was almost as if nothing had changed. That is why it is so hard to leave. I can't wait to move home.