What's New

I don't have a lot of words right now because I do not feel well and my neck hurts SO bad! I have never had neck pain like I currently do. I cannot even move it... this is coming from someone with a high pain tolerance. I am miserable!
So here are a lot of pictures to show what I have been up to since I blogged last. We went to my brother's house for Thanksgiving. Buster looks like a giant compared to the little poodles.

I babysat Camden last week and she just makes me laugh. Seriously, how cute is she? What a little ham!

My biggest and most exciting news is that I was voted Teacher of the Year for my school. The best part is that it comes with an awesome parking spot (and some drama). Regardless of the drama, I am really excited about this. I think it is a great honor and I feel blessed to be the TOY.

The Pinheads had our last bowling game. They want to move to softball or kickball next season. I liked bowling, though. Mainly because I had purple sparkly shoes.

Cad stayed with us. I love this dog and miss him! He used to live here. We had fun going to the park and doing big dog things. But Cad also appreciates a lazy Sunday like I do! Gotta love my oodles of poodles and doodles!

We also went to Joe's Christmas party on a harbor cruise in Newport.

It was really cold...

and fun....

and I like to dress up in fancy clothes! :)

Two People In One

So this is the last day in November and I did not nearly come close to blogging daily for the month of November, but I decided to only blog when I wanted to, so I think it is better.

Anyway, I feel like there are two people inside of me and they are constantly battling each other. One is super social and likes to make plans and spend time with all of the important people in her life. The other likes to stay home and do absolutely nothing.... I mean like hours go by and she cannot recall anything that she did.

This weekend, both of those personalities had a lot of stage time. I'm glad!

Joe has no wisdom...

...teeth.

I took the day off of work to take poor Joe to the dentist to get his wisdom teeth yanked. Who waits until they are almost 30?

Anyway, it was the world's most boring waiting room ever! The surgery took more than 3 hours. I wasn't convinced that his dentist actually knew what he was doing. Most of the awards on his wall had to do with pig jaws. Sick! But Joe survived.

Joe is already a man of few words, stuff a little gauze in his mouth and I get to hear myself talk for the next 2 days!

Here is one of my favorite stories to tell and it just happens to be about my wisdom teeth...

I got my teeth yanked when I was 21. They were super impacted and they cut into my sinus, so I had a nose bleed for 24 hours! Yuck! Anyway, I am usually pretty quiet and reserved, at least while in the company of doctors who are taking care of me. But after being put under, I will a little pill. I refused to sit in the wheelchair on the way out. When they finally got me in, I flung myself out of it as soon as I saw my dad's car. My mom then took me to McDonald's because I needed to eat. She asked if I wanted a shake or a sundae. I exclaimed I wanted them both. She went on to explain that she did not have enough cash because she had to pay for my pain killers. By the time she got to the window, I was screaming "I want a shake and a sundae and a Britney Spears CD", with blood coming out of my mouth of course. Good times.

I hope poor Joe feels better soon!

San Francisco

Joe and I spent a much needed weekend away in San Francisco. We had a great time. Here is the weekend in pictures. More posting later...
Sea lions at Pier 39


Cable Car at Union Square
Really yummy steak at Bobo's
Super delicious ice cream and hot chocolate at Ghirardelli Square. We went back again right before we headed to the airport.

There are no pictures, but we went to Oakland to see my friend, Lauren. Then we drove to the Modesto area to see my friend, Kissten, and her cute 9 month old, walking son, Ethan.
We went to dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. I had yummy crab!
Then we hopped on the cable car to have a drink at Top of the Mark. What a beautiful view!
We went to Alcatraz.And took a ton of pictures by the Golden Gate Bridge

We also went to Lombard street. I wonder how often residents need to get new brakes?

tough

Relationships are tough.

I blogged again!

Up Yours, Blogging Month!

I am kind of grumpy and do not feel like blogging today.

Therfore, I am no longer going to try to blog everyday this month... just when I feel like it!

My rents

My parents are the greatest! I have always been close to them, but even more so now that I am older. I really enjoy my time with them and they always make me laugh!

I love when I call and they both get on the phone at the same time.

Right now, I am pretty sure I am the golden child because not only do I get to talk football (Go, Skins) with my dad, but I am the only one of his kids who voted the way he did. So we have been having fun.

They are so silly, but loving. They are supportive and understanding. They really are the best. I just wish they would move back.

So sad

Personally, I am not incredibly sad that McCain did not win this election, just as I am not overjoyed that Obama did win. However, McCain's loser speech made me sad because he is just a sweet, little man. I may not have wanted him to be my president (or maybe I did... I keep my views secret), but I do want him to be my best friend. I love sweet, little old men. He did give a nice and respectful loser speech. I called my dad and let him know that I have replaced him.... with McCain. I think he understood.

Lotsa Random Stuff

I am going out of town this weekend. I will not be blogging Saturday and Sunday!! I will blog about my weekend when I get back though. I guess I am not going to make my blogging goal.

I have a lot of stuff I kind of want to write about today, like how wonderful my class is or how much I love Buster or what I just did at the grocery store or how great my parents are or my stud bowling skills... but I feel like tonight's blog will be focused on the elections.

Today I went to Starbucks at 7:05 and proudly stated that I voted and they needed to give me my coffee. You are probably thinking to yourself, "Self, Becky sure is dedicated, she voted right when the polls open." Nope, I voted absentee... just happened to get to Starbucks at 7:05. I happily enjoyed my tall coffee in a grande cup filled with Splenda and milk.

Then I got to school and saw a student from my first class who is now in jr. high. She hugged me and was as tall as me! She also got her mom to snake me an "I voted sticker".

Something about the sticker made me proud. I am proud to be in an American. I am proud that my vote counts. I am proud that I do my civic duty. I am not proud that I get summoned for jury duty yearly.

Then today I taught my class about the electoral college. They did not believe me when I told them that a candidate could get the most votes, but still not win the election. That got me thinking. The electoral college system is old and was created when people didn't trust others to vote for them. I think we should change the rules back to the popular vote.

My last bit of election related information... I love Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin. It makes me laugh so hard! I love when she talks about Joe Six Pack and Mavericks. She makes being a maverick sound cool. So although I don't really go against the rules, I am hoping you will all call me a maverick from now on.... purely because it sounds cool.

Thanks and goodnight.

oh, by the way, I bought every flavor of Jolly Green Giant Steamers at the store. I couldn't decide which one I wanted, so I came home with 6. They were on sale and I was hungry!

Parents, Politics and Pigskin

I am having a parent issue in my class and it drives me crazy. I honestly feel like I am doing a really great job and more importantly, I always put the kids' best interest first. Well, this week a student copied his book (not even research) report directly from Wikipedia. So he got in trouble, yada, yada, yada.... but his parents wrote me a nasty gram stating that he did not do anything wrong. His dad accused me of giving his son acute stress syndrome nearly resulting in a 911 call! Seriously!? I told our principal that I want to meet with him (with her) and put him in his place and he suggested Friday at 5:00. Seriously? Why do parents need to be like this? I feel sad for the poor kid!

I am not the most political person and I never talk about politics. My next comments, in no way, should reflect my stance on Prop. 8.... just something that I find funny in the advertising of it. First off, I have yet to find a standard that states kids must be taught about marriage. Regardless, teachers pick and choose their battles. I am not even going in depth about the elections tomorrow due to fear of being criticized. But whatever. Second, I think all kids have learned about gay marriage through all of the "Yes on 8" commercials that play nonstop on the radio and TV. I am pretty sure children are learning more about gay marriage through this campaign than they will ever hear elsewhere in their lives. So those are my views on the campaign - not the prop.

Finally, I would like to write about the Washington Redskins. I am so pumped because I think they are finally going to the Super Bowl this year. They are on fire. Then I watched Monday Night Football and they just killed me! They were in the end zone most of the game, yet didn't seem to score. It was sad. As a side note, I did watch Monday Night Football at the gym which got me to stay on cardio a lot longer. I did get caught yelling at the TV though. Joe and I have been going to the gym every Monday as a commitment to our health and each other. Mondays stink. I teach all day, then tutor for 3 hours, come home for 20 minutes and head back to the gym. But I think it make me a better person.

2 days down, 28 to go!

Nov. 2

I just learned (from Devon) November is National Blogging Month. So, like Dev, I am going to attempt to blog everyday for the rest of the month. Let's see how it goes.

Friday was Halloween! I love Halloween because I love costume parties!
Joe and I dressed up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Ginger and Todd were Betty and Barney Rubble.
And of course, Buster was Dino! The cat never cooperates for me in pictures and she jumped in this pic without being invited. I think it was to prove the point that she wasn't forced to wear a costume!
Then I went over to my friend Candice's house for brunch. A group of us who grew up in the same neighborhood try to get together once a month. It is always so fun!

Right before I left to go to Candice's house, I received a message from a former student's mom saying she had 4 free tickets to the USC game. So Scott, Steve, Joe, and I headed up there to watch USC totally defeat Washington!My favorite part of the USC games is the horse, Traveler! I love him! He comes out every time they score a touchdown! He got a workout at yesterday's game!

Update

So I have been MIA since school started. I just don't have that much to update. I have an awesome class - they are so sweet and darn funny.

I got a new camera. The Canon Elph SD 880. It is super cool, so maybe I will be taking more pictures to post on here.Until then, here are some from the old camera...

Buster was voted the 12th cutest dog in Irvine, personally, I think he is the cutest!

Joe and I went to a USC game.Alison and I went to visit Tracy is Vegas and we went to the New Kids on the Block concert. It was seriously a really great concert!

My parents, Benny, and Bear came to visit.
We are dressing up as the Flintstones for Halloween! Yabba Dabba Doo!

September 19

Septmber 19 is not just Talk Like A Pirate Day! It is also the official anniversary for Joe and me! Although we had been friends and hung out for awhile, Sept. 19, 2008 was when we officially decided to date exclusively.

We celebrated last night at Mastro's Ocean Club in Corona Del Mar. Joe had been to this place for a "fancy dinner" a few times with work people. I used to complain of feeling jipped because I didn't get to go to fancy dinners like he does. Well, last night he surprised me with reservations at 7:30.

I was excited to try one of their famous martinis. Then I looked at the menu and cheapest one was $18. Ummm, no! So we shared a bottle of wine. You may be wondering if we had one of the $7,000 bottles of wine. Nope! It was a tad bit less expensive than that.

Then I had my favorite - lobster bisque. It was good! Lots of lobster.

We both had center cut filet and it was probably the best steak I have ever had. It melted in my mouth.

For our sides, we had creamed corn and gorgonzola mac and cheese. They were both wonderful!

We shared a warm, butter cake for dessert. Joe once brought me home a cold butter cake from Mastro's and it was great. But it was to die for warmed! They also brought us a complimentary carrot cake on the dessert place that said "Happy Anniversary" is chocolate sauce. I will post pictures later.

Dinner was amazing! I enjoyed every bite. But my favorite part of the night was the sweet card that Joe gave to me. I love that boy!

Always Remember

September 11th just makes me so sad.

I remember watching the planes crashing into the buildings. It was rare that I was awake that early, but I had to drive to Fullerton that morning.

The next morning, I woke up to learn that Lisa Frost was in one of the airplanes. Lisa was probably one of the most amazing people I have ever met. We went to high school together. She continues to inspire me today.

On September 11, 2002, I read a book about the terrible day to my first class of first graders. They didn't really know why they were dressed in red, white, and blue. It made me thankful for their innocence.

Going to the World Trade Center site three times since 9-11 makes me sad. So sad to see such mass destruction and innocent lives taken for no reason.

If I were not so tired, I think I would be able to do a better job at expressing more detailed emotions. But all I can think of is how sad I feel.

God Bless America

So Boring

Now that school is back in session:
I do not have time to take pictures
I do not have time to blog
I do not have energy to do anything
I do not have anything exciting to blog about, well, at least not anything that is appropriate for a blog.
I do not have time to pack my lunch - today I grabbed poptarts, popcorn, goldfish, and a diet pepsi max. That is a lunch of champions!
I do not have time to hang out with babies.
I do not have time to hang out with my friends.


Crap! I just realized that I forgot to DVR 90210! Ahhh man!

See, I do not have time to remember things.


I think things will be better next week.

Big Bang Friday

I love Angels games. I especially love Bing Bang Fridays because I love fireworks. I have always wanted to sit in one of Joe's company's seats. He always gets to sit in the Diamond Club, the Box, or Dugout Seats. Well, last night I saw Big Bang Friday from the box! It was awesome.

My parents were supposed to join us, but since my dad was sick, we asked Shannon and Steve. Well, Steve had to coach, so we asked Scott to come. On the way there, we realized we were only missing one person of our clique (Eric) and suggested that we trade Joe in for Eric. Turns out we needed him for the tickets. It was a super fun night! The Angels won! I love Chone! Mainly because I pronounce it Cho-knee.

Family Day

Today was a day filled with family.

This morning, Joe, my mom, and I headed to Colton to see my brother's new house and new baby.

I love my little niece, Jacqueline.

I love Alyssa and JJ. Alyssa was very sweet to her new cousin.

Joe and Brandon became quick friends!

Then we were off to Olive Garden to celebrate my mom's birthday. My mom is the best!

Alyssa ordered 10 olives for her fingers. The waitress brought her a special plate!

My dad was missing from the activities because he was sick and stayed home. We ended up taking him to the ER. I suggested we go to Hoag because it is a better hospital than Irvine, even though he could have walked to Irvine! Although, we spent about 5 hours in the ER, it was time well spent. He had immediate attention and a ton of special doctors. I honestly think this hospital may convince him to move back. My brother, David, hung in the hospital with my mom and me. We told jokes, stories, and watched SNL. My dad ended up having to stay the night. We had to pack up all of his belongings. So I thought it would be funny to tuck his shoes at the end of his bed. I think he thought it was funny!

Let's hope and pray that Dad makes a quick recovery and that everything can be fixed. I know this is really hard for him and my mom.

A Beautiful Day

I had such an awesome day on Tuesday!

It started with breakfast at The Bagel Shack in El Toro. This is my favorite bagel joint around. It also happens to be owned by wonderful people! The bagels were delicious, but the company was even better. Buster and I met Devon and Irelyn. Buster was stoked to have a new friend. Irelyn was sooo cute with him. I think they both had a great time! I love hanging out with Devon. We always have a great time. I adore Irelyn. She is just so happy... and smart... and sweet... and creative... and spunky... and caring... and talkative...and all around awesome! I just love her! Buster and I hope to see Dev and Irelyn again soon!

After breakfast, which also included a latte and a very large and very hot coffee, I needed to go to school. But I was all bent out of shape because of the politics and drama going on there. Instead of going to straight to school, I stopped by the Spectrum. Turns out my best friend, Ann Taylor, was having a great sale and I was able to get a Back To School dress, using my end of the year gift card. It was awesome. Then I went to school and fought ants.

At 5:30, I met my Mom's Club. I am the president, you know. Camden, Troy, Sophia, Ashyln and their moms and I walked around Mission Viejo lake. I was impressed with our time. We walked around it in the same amount of time we walked around the RSM lake a few weeks ago! I so love all of my little babies!

Camden, Troy, and SophiaCuddly boy TroyBaby Sophia - she's the youngest in my posse.

In true Becky fashion, I had overbooked myself that night and needed to be in Laguna Beach by 8:00 for Pageant of the Masters. The tickets were free! Joe was a good sport. He really did not want to go. But he went. His first comment was "are we at a senior citizen home?" I can see where he would be mixed up. We got to go backstage before the show began to see all of the make-up and costumes. Then we sat through the show, some of us (ummm... Joe) did not do a great job of making boredom. Afterwards, we got to go backstage to see the actual sets. That was way cool! That was the best part of the experience, followed closely by the really delicious hot chocolate.

My parents came to visit yesterday. We hit up the Spag Fag with the Van Dams tonight.

Summer, why must you come to an end?

New Ride

After months of looking at cars, I came home with a new one today. I had searched all overSouthern California and Nevada for a car in the right price. I had originally thought I would get a Toyota Highlander. However, the payments on that were totally crazy.

I got a 2009 Lexus RX350 today. It is super cool! My experience at the Lexus dealer was not the best. I first went to the dealer in April or May. I looked at the car, test drove it, and tried to make an offer. It was decided that I had too many payments left on my lease, but they assured me they could make me the deal when my lease was almost up.

Joe and I headed back last weekend. We were both looking at cars. We were playing with numbers, but they did not get to my goal payment. Then "Sonny" called back on Monday and said that he would accept my offer. My dad and I headed to the dealer yesterday to find that he actually had not accepted my offer, but was really close. So we went to other Lexus dealers who said if we could get it at that price, we should because it would be an amazing deal. So I called "Sonny" today and he was very rude. He said that he could no longer give it to me for that price(even though he said the offer was good until Sept. 2). I was upset and called his sales manager, who said he would have never given it to me for that price and there was nothing he could do about it. I then asked to speak to his manager and after a long negotiation, I got it for that price, plus a lifetime of car washes! I ended up getting it for $6,500 under the sticker price... I was pretty proud! :)

It was a long and painful process. I was also kind of sad to drive away and leave my 4Runner behind. That was my favorite car I had ever had and the only car I wasn't totally ready to get rid of. I was stoked to get rid of my Blazer after it blew up in the middle of the desert at 38,000 miles.! I could not wait to get rid of the Taurus when I got the big truck. I was excited to trade in that ginormous truck for my first new car, the Blazer. I had to get rid of the 4Runner because my lease was up and the payoff was super high. But I am excited to have my new car!

Summer Of Babies

This summer has been so fun. I cannot tell you how sad I am to go back to work (many reasons). One of the best parts of the summer was hanging out with all of my friends' kiddos.

Yesterday, I hung out with Danielle and Aiden. I had so much fun and he is such a little cutie! Then I had to go to a work party and I held baby Troy the entire time. We were both covered in sweat when I finally put him down. It was hot. He is a cutie pie.

This summer I have also spent time with Chase, Ashlyn, Sophia, Joseph, Ethan, and Braden.

Of course, I love my bff, Camden and I always enjoy my time with her. I am glad I got to hang with her a lot this summer. Right now I am off to play with another one of my little friends, Irelyn!

Then tonight, I have organized my Mom's Group. Who needs your own child when there are so many others to hang with!

Washington, DC - Last one

Ok... no more pictures after this!
On the last day we were in DC, we woke up and got in line for the Capitol Tour.
This is in the inside of the rotunda. This is also in the rotunda. It is the California Gold Rush! Gotta love California history. Can you tell I teach 4th grade?
Here we are on our tour inside of the Capitol.
Then we went to the National Zoo. When I was kid, I loved this zoo! In my mind, I was expecting it to be the same size as the San Diego Zoo. We finished the entire zoo in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Guess I had a different perspective on things back then.
I was bummed to see that the pandas I had known and loved had died in the 18 years lapse of my visits!! But they have these new pandas.
And they still have elephants.

Then after the zoo, we went to the mall to look for a Redskins sweatshirt. No luck! So sad! That was my trip!

Washington, DC - Part 4 - Sunday

On Sunday, we walked to the Capitol. It was one of the few things Joe really wanted to see. It is closed on Sunday. Then we walked over to all of the monuments. Here is good old Abe.
Then we went to the World War II monument. It is newer and pretty cool. We took pics by Virginia and Florida (the states we were born in) and California (where we live now) We also visited the Vietnam Memorial. Loyd McBroom was my mom's cousin. He stepped on a landmine.
Then we went to the Korean War Memorial.

Then to the Washington Monument. We could not even fathom the thought of walking up the steps. We did a ton of walking while we were there.

Here we are in front of the Jefferson Memorial. Again, way too much walking, so we didn't go over to the actual memorial.Then we rented a car and drove to Arlington National Cemetery. This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It was neat to see all of the wonderful monuments and memorials. I have always been patriotic and proud to be an American. However, standing in front of these memorials and monuments, while thinking of how many people lost/risked their lives for the love of their country is amazing. I love the USA!