Just a few life events.

Jane and I...gonna miss her!

So the days again have slipped through my fingers. I've been meaning to post for a while, but I've been out of town every weekend since we moved in with Donnie's parents. It's a crazy ride, but I'm having fun.

Super fun weekend!

To back track a little, we came home from the Mother's Day trip to the coast, and I turned around and went back with some girls from work the next weekend. It caused a bit of drama at work, but once we got there, we had a blast. It's always refreshing to be around a strong group of women who love to have fun. :) We did lots of chatting, laying out and of course karaoke. Unfortunately, I had to rush home on Sunday morning for a big family event. That was not drama-less either, we almost got trapped on the island and it took us an extra two hours to get home, but be finally made it!

Woke up happy!

Happy Baptism Day, Paul!

The special family event was Paul's baptism! Paul was in a bad mood when we arrived at church that day, but after a short drive around the parking lot, he dozed off and slept most of mass. He woke up in a lovely mood, and was so enthusiastic during the ceremony of his baptism. :) His godparents are great, they are going to be great leaders for Paul, and we are so lucky to have them. The day ended with a Spurs game, Rudy's BBQ and good company. It was a very special event.

I heart you, Duncan.

The Spurs are in the playoffs, so we couldn't resist one last chance to see them play. So Tuesday night, Donnie bought us lower level tickets to a game against the Grizzlies. It was a close game and so incredible! I will seriously miss the Spurs; they are so much a part of our lives and it's going to be weird not seeing Parker, Ginobli and Duncan on a regular basis. I'm sure it won't be my very last Spurs game, but it will be for a very long time.

Good ol' Corona

That week was another short one at work for me, we had to leave again on Wednesday for Phoenix for some more special family events. This time it was graduations of my little brother and sister. My sister graduated Thursday night from my old high school. My uncle and aunt from Colorado came, and Andie flew down from Seattle, so it was another night of good company. It was weird standing on the field after graduation, watching all the seniors hug and seeing their faces so full of hope. It didn't seem that long ago that I was in that exact spot. In fact, it was a little surreal to see it replay in front of me. Different faces, but the energy was the same. I was glad I could be there.

The next night was my brother Nathan's ceremony, which was very different, but still the same excited feeling. Oh, to be 18 again and looking to the future, so open, so many opportunities, so many mistakes and lessons learned ahead, but an equal number of incredible life experiences.

Chillin' with DeeDee

Most of my time in Phoenix was spent in the pool or in the company with Andie. She, as stated before, has a calming quality that cannot be compared. We had a blast hanging with Paul by the pool, chatting and attending graduation events. She is a rock in a very topsy-turvy world. Thank you, Andie.

My mom has an amazing new house, which Paul had fun exploring, and I loved! We got to stay in a little casita next to the pool, and it was such a long trip that it was neat to have our own little space. :)

Paul has this relaxation thing down.

We spent Memorial Day traveling back to San Antonio and trying to get ready for another week.

So here we are. Just 6 days left with students and 7 days left at my current school. I can't believe it's ending so fast, but at the same time, I can't wait for it to be over. I'm living in a torn reality. I cannot fathom not seeing my work friends on a daily basis, but I cannot wait to be done with this difficult school year.

I can only say that there are so many faces that I will miss terribly, and to imagine leaving seems impossible. At the same moment, I am so anxious to start the next chapter. I'm so ready for a new place and new challenge, so ready for a change. In talking with people in the area where we are going, I am starting to form a more solid vision of what is to come. But it is still so unknown, I am so curious what will happen.

I still marvel at what has happened in so little time. One can only imagine what is to come. ;)

Summer-ache

I have summer-ache. It makes me long for endless summer days, for cold treats and sweaty afternoons, for poolside relaxation and sleeping in. I can't stand it. It's compounded by the school year winding down and a trip to the beach.

 We are currently residing in South Padre Island, celebrating Mother's Day and enjoying the last trip to the Texas coast. It won't be my last trip, I'll be back next weekend with some girls from work, but as a family, this is it. I'm amazed at how much Paul loves water. He spent an hour running in the waves yesterday, and then went swimming in the pool. He is so independent now. He swims around the toddler pool in his life jacket all by himself. It's fun to watch. :)

In the meantime, we've been taking our online QSI courses to learn about the values of the organization we'll be working for. In just the little I've been exposed to it seems like my values as a teacher line up exactly with theirs as a school. I so look forward to working for a place that values learning above test scores. It renews my passion for teaching?

I'm starting to look forward, and I see too many goodbyes to stand it. I think I'll continue to live in denial for a while longer, but I know what looms.  It's bittersweet, waiting for summer, but knowing that with it comes a bigger, longer break from people I love.

In 3 Months...

So there are less than 3 months until we go. I was trying to write yesterday, but there was no time. Three months from today we will be arriving in Hong Kong, and getting ready to start a new life. This week has been crazy! Monday was busy, and Tuesday I went with my friend Stacy to buy Paul's baptism clothes. He's gonna look good!

Wednesday was the Teacher of the Year banquet. Donnie and I went and we were seated at the very front with all the semi-finalists. That's when I realized how well connected my principal really is. ;) It was kind of boring, but nice to be recognized. We got a goodie bag full of things that proclaimed TEACHER OF THE YEAR! I'll take a few of the nice things with me to Shekou, but mostly just try to use them in these last days of school. Today my principal brought me in to my summative evaluation and reiterated that he was super bummed to lose me, and that if we ever chose to come back, to find him. It was really nice to hear.

Then tonight we met with the IT guy in Shekou. He was really nice and totally welcoming. I can't wait to get there and see what it's like. We have all kinds of orientations and we are getting email from the school. It makes me so anxious to make our transition!!

It's hard to look forward and know that this move is so close. People ask me if my mind is just on that, and if I've checked out of daily life, but I haven't. In fact, I don't think I've ever lived so much in the present. I can usually look ahead, but recently, I've only been able to live day to day. I will be glad when my work is over, and I can actually look forward to what's to come....

Full Speed Ahead

My awesome travel buddy.

I can't believe another week has flown by. The hours drag on a little bit, but the days seem to slip through my fingers. Things are busy on all fronts. Work is still a challenge, and we are continuing to plan full days of lessons and field trips. The students can smell summer and the teachers are even worse. ;)

Playing in the airport

We had some drama with the closing of our houses, but the week ended with both houses successfully sold, and money in the bank. This gets us one step closer to being free from our belongings and closer to complete downsizing. We still have the Fiat to sell, but hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

Relaxing

In the meantime, I took a trip to visit my mom in Phoenix this week with Paul. She has been wanting to see us, but hasn't been well enough to travel, so we went to her. It was great to be back in Phoenix, there is a comforting feeling about being there, even though she doesn't live in the area we grew up anymore.

Me and V for-eva!

Paul was an awesome traveller! This was the first time I flew with him since he's been old enough to get his own seat on the plane. It was so great, he just sat there like a pro, played his iPad, and finally fell asleep.

TCB

We had a spectacular day with V on Friday, she came over around 11 and we headed out to a hotel pool that is open to the public on weekdays. Paul lounged around on a lounger and played his new game on the iPad (a new spelling puzzle) and V and I were able to sunbathe and chat like old times. When Paul mentioned how hot he was, we took him to play in the pool for a while, then he was back to his "business" on the iPad. I was so content!

Heather and Her Derby Hat

Then we went to try to take naps, Paul was having none of it, so he played with her nephew's trains. Finally, we headed out to dinner with my dad, Grace and Vicki. We went to Guedo's, an old family tradition. It is also the place where Donnie and I had our rehearsal dinner. There are a great many good memories in that place. Paul was unbelievably tired, so it was a little difficult to enjoy the company, but once he got going with his train he was fine. :)

My sis and her awesome horsemanship

Saturday was spent with Mom. We went to a Derby Day fundraiser at Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship. My sister, Heather, is a student there and by working with horses, she has grown stronger and more confident. She had a performance that day, so it was really cool to see her show off her skills. We hung around a little while longer, but then headed back for some delicious naps. :)

My lovely mother

When we woke up, we made a yummy dinner and V came over for a chat. It's so incredible having her in my life and how lucky I am to have such an amazing friend. She knows me better than almost anyone. She's going through some life changes too, so we traded stories, and memories and made promises to meet up soon. It'll probably be the last time I see her before we go, but I'm still in denial about that.

Breakfast at Nana's

Life returns to normal this week. As normal as it can be when you are trying to prepare to for such a big transition. We are involved with a QSI forum now, and our orientation starts this week. We also are getting our QSI email addresses, and beginning the process of enrolling Paul in school there. Our paperwork made it successfully to the school in Shekou, so hopefully there is nothing missing or any drama involving that paperwork. It's becoming more and more real every day.