Nap time

I have realized that napping shouldn't just be for babies so I have decided to try and join Amalea whenever I can.

Time

So often I say I wish that the days had more hours so I could get more done. However, lately I have been wishing for less hours. I want the move to Portland to come quickly (and to happen smoothly of course) so all the time between now and when we move feels so long. Of course we do have a lot of people to spend time with, packing to do, and parties to attend so I guess we will fill the time easily...but I just get so excited when I think about it and I want moving day to be here!

Life of an introvert

This week I came face-to-face with one of my faults. You see, I am an introvert, and though that in itself is not exactly a fault, it can be. Since I am an introvert I tend to not be very outgoing until I really know people. Rather I am shy and a bit reserved until I am comfortable. This also means that I don't really approach others and I definitely rarely initiate conversations. The reason this can be a fault is that on several occasions others have decided that I am mean or cold or even a "bitch". They have come to this conclusion because I keep to myself and though I smile and say hello or wave at times that is as fas as I go and therefore it is decided that I am not a very nice person.
This is something I want to change. Not the fact that I am an introvert, but the fact that I am not outgoing upon initially meeting new people (of course there are always exceptions and at times I can be my totally zany self from the start). When we move to Portland my goal is to push myself to talk to strangers more and to really put myself out there when I meet new people.
It makes me so sad that people around me think I don't like them or that I am mean and I want my true heart to show - the heart that loves and accepts all people.

We made it

Amalea and I are back home from our crazy week of travels. We are now awaiting Jim's return on the 1st - we miss him a lot and can't wait to see him. Amalea is super close to walking, but I think she is just waiting for her daddy to get home so she can do it for him. The picture above is me and Amalea in Santa Cruz, where I grew up. It definitely wasn't really a beach day, but I was loving the weather!

Traveling week

The next few days Amalea and I will be on the go as we keep busy while Jim is in Peru. Sunday, we will be driving out to Brea to see Jamie (visiting from her new home in Texas), Lena, and Erin. Monday we'll drive to Santa Cruz to see my parents. Wednesday we fly to Portland (thankfully my mom is coming too) and then Thursday we fly back from Portland to Santa Cruz. Saturday we drive back to Moorpark from Santa Cruz. It will be a busy week of traveling, but we will get to see lot of very special people and that makes it totally worth it.

Why life is so good...

Here we come...

Things are falling in to place for our family to make the move to Portland in mid August. I was offered 2 teaching positions and ended up choosing the one I felt was the best fit for us. I will be teaching 8th grade Language Arts in North Clackamas. We hope to live in the Southeast end of Portland. I was totally amazed that I went from having no serious job prospects and was thinking that maybe I wouldn't teach when we moved to having 2 job offers. I'm really looking forward to teaching junior high (the school I am at is still a junior high, but will split into two middle schools in 2009). The school was awesome and they are doing some really forward thinking things so I am excited to be a part of that.
I will be flying up to Portland the end of this month with my mom and Amalea to sign my contract and do some house hunting. Jim will be in Peru with some of his students so we are going to try our best to find a home we like.
More and more I feel so confirmed in this decision to move and I can honestly say that even though I am a little scared I am excited more than anything else. So, Portland Oregon...here we come...