Long time no post

Dear zero friends,

Dudes. Things have been craY in my life. I haven't even opened my computer at home in like 6 weeks. I'm typing this out on my phone through the blogger app. The short version of things is that everything is great. Everyone is happy and healthy, except my zucchini which died a horrible death of white mold on every leaf/stalk(!??!). I tried to salvage the least moldy leaves and just ended up ripping out everything. Ripped out a damn piece of my heart.  Job has exceeded my expectations: I have business cards and i'm on the website.... o0o0o0h. School update soon(ish). Suffice to say, I passed the CBEST and I'm moving forward!

In other news, today I wore one of my "smart" blazers and ended up looking like I work in a lab. THE DOCTA IS IN!!! And I desperately need a haircut. 

garden update: my plant children

Day 1 vs Day 16

Isn't it amazing what a little sunshine, water, and an appropriate amount of love can do? My little garden is growing like crazy and I'm especially proud of the beans and peas that I grew from seeds.

What I've learned so far about my plant children:

• Squash is the crazy one who does steroids and you're worried about their future and whether their balls might shrink. I bought way too many for this tiny 13x5 space.
• The miracle of life is amazing. If I'm this excited about sprouts from seeds, I don't know how crazy I'll be when I have a baby (human seed!) (no this is not an announcement). So my seedlings are the needy but super impressive ones.
• Corn is a pimp and seems to grow an inch/day so obv they are the ones going through puberty. So far they think they know everything, and spoiler alert, they do.
• Lettuce is a water hog aka the guttons of the family. Like mother like plant children.
• Peppers (bell, habanero, and jalepeno) are the nerds who work really hard but have nothing on the outside to show for it (yet). I also may have planted them too close together so there's a chance they won't actually grow or fruit at all (smothering mom).
• Cilantro and Parsley are "Team Herb" and are totally potheads (get it, they're in pots). But they're doing great so I'm not going to rehab them or anything.
• Tomatoes are my athletes - competing against each other and turning out a bunch of tiny green fruits that I'm sure will be amazing once they ripen.

Well that's enough crazy for today. 

Side note: I planted flowers from seeds since the beans/peas were so easy/amazing. Updates on those in 10-16 days :)

sometimes things don't work out as you plan

....THEY'RE BETTER!

Sometimes blessings fall from the sky. And by sometimes I mean this has never happened to me before so this is the first time and it's great.

Let me explain...

Today I got a job offer from a law firm that I applied to in February - it turned out I didn't have quite the experience they were looking for so we parted ways and that was that. Story of my professional life. But you don't understand. Back when I first applied, I researched this firm from top to bottom because I knew I didn't want to end up in the situation I was in at Pite Duncan (too big, bad management, no end to the hamster wheel over a pit of fire). I watched all the videos, I looked at what services they offered their clients, I read reviews, I checked out the office, I googled some people for crying out loud. They seemed like a complete 180 to PD and on a whole other planet (nay, solar system!) from Instant Customer. On paper it was a dream company for me...kind of like what Google would be to people who work at Google or how someone in Hollywood who landed a role in a film by Spielberg would feel. It's a firm/company/family. They LOVE their employees and show it. It's an honest firm with real values and awards and pride and and and. Once I knew about them, that a place like that even exists and is in my realm of possibility, I wanted more than anything to work there. And when I didn't get the job I seriously decided that I didn't want to be a paralegal if I couldn't work for a place like that. End of story. So I made a new plan - to go back to school and teach. That was always my passion and I wasn't going to keep bouncing around trying to force myself, a seemingly square peg, to fit into another mediocre job. I am in charge of my own destiny!!!...destiny destiny....like how it would sound if you said that to the Grand Canyon.

 So here I am just this past Monday, unemployed but with a plan to go to PLNU and get my Masters of Arts in Teaching with my credential and off I go for the rest of my life. I mean, I just started this blog less than 30 days ago to chronicle this experience for crying out loud! And OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY I got an email from their recruiter saying that a position opened up and they were checking to see if I was still interested and doi I was still interested because this was my Mecca of Jobs.

Suffice to say, the interview went well and they called me today with the offer for a 4 year employment contract. I cried.

I cried because it was a relief. I cried because this means that how I see myself as a human and how I try to be as an employee are correct and that other people see it too. I cried because I know I can still go to school at night but now won't have to worry constantly about money. I cried because it literally felt like heaven opened up and rained down hugs for no other reason than because Jordan needed a hug. I cried because someone like me, who has had bad luck finding a place to belong, belongs. I cried because I just love Kirk so much and know this will alleviate the financial pressure he/we were going to be under for the foreseeable future. And I cried because I'm a tender soul and that's what I do.

I'm not giving up on being a teacher. I'm still going to school and will talk to some counselors about programs where I can get my masters and do all the classes for the credential without the student teaching (for the time being). I plan on giving this place a try and seeing how it goes. But from what I feel as of right now, I think it will be a prosperous and happy couple of years.

7 days

7 days until I take the CBEST. I'm finding that all the teachers I've talked to who've taken the test are like, "Oh, you can sleep through that test and pass! CAMAN!"

Well...I have this study book I've been using that takes you through the format and refreshes you on math you haven't thought about in 10 years so that's helpful. But otherwise, I'm pretty much on my own.

I've been on my own for a test before - I studied for, taught myself material, and PASSED the paralegal certification test in 2011. Still, there's nothing like waking up in the morning to the thought of factoring polynomials to really get your heart going.

Here's to June 20!

things I never told you about

Mainly this is just a catch up session on a bunch of adventures we've taken over the past year or so....

Here's some stuff from our Honeymoon in Margarita Island, Venezuela (April 1 - 15, 2012):

Porlamar, Margarita Island

My favorite day - the Jeep tour of the island

When we got to this church on the tour, they actually said, "Do not stop and confess your sins."

COCO - LOCOs

This was the Venezuelan family that adopted us and took us out to the mall for dinner. It was very sweet.

This fish head cost $80. American Dollars. Our one and only scam.

This grocery trip cost $50 American Dollars. And those magnum things are chocolate bars....fyi

Kirk got to windsurf at their famous windy beach.

We asked for margaritas since the island is called Margarita Island....they didn't know how to make margaritas. So, this was a glass of tequila. MMMMmmmm

Love him <3

We did a lot of hiding and reading :)

AMERICAN FOOD DAY!!!! Tastes like freedom.

Didn't swim at this beach because it was lined with dead jellies.

This is how our bags traveled back to the USA to deter the thieves from stealing our stuff. My bag was totally broken by this wrap. We love America.

Here's us being cute one day on a beach bike ride by Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach:

Went to some beautiful weddings:
Hannah and Jeff Sawhill in San Jose, CA

 Meggie and Shane Richards in Seattle, WA:

Lindsay and Anthony Leyvas in San Diego, CA:

Brady and Breland Tommerup in Kalispell, MA

Nadia and James Silva in San Diego, CA

Megan and Justin Baar in San Diego, CA

Lydia and Enrique Azevedo in Santa Barbara, CA

Aspen was born (June 10, 2012 she is now almost 1!!!)

We ate oysters at a place called Oysterfest even though we both don't like oysters

Here's where I roped me a fake steer in Montana (where we someday plan to own and operate a ranch):

Here are some pics from Glacier National Park (Montana):

I was mesmerized that there could be that much snow as it was 90* outside!

Here are some pics from multiple sailing days:

Here's our first Christmas as husb/wife and in our amazing new home with our new dog Riggins (a year for a lot of firsts):

Here's Lydia's bachelorette party in San Francisco (the few appropriate ones):

Here's our honeymoon "re-do" at the Big Island, Hawaii (March 27 - April 6, 2013):
 The pics are out of order since I had to merge Kirk's pictures with mine.

In Honolulu waiting for our connecting flight to Hilo

Day exploring local parks

I didn't want him taking a picture of my butt ;)

Rainbow falls (?)

Just a view on a drive we took across the island.

Tracy and Bill's lanai where we spent many a night/morning

Driving through rain forest to....

....the desert. I loved this picture because I couldn't tell where the sky stopped and the ocean began.

My escort <3

a-bay

The hotel where we spent our anniversary weekend in Kona, HI

View from our room

The claimed to have the best mai tais. I decided I don't like rum.

My routine every day in Kona. LIQUID GOLD.

We made the obligatory white rock message in the ah-ah lava

he's such a pretty bird

On our (free) whale watching cruise

Anniversary morning before we swam with dolphins....nbd

Kealakekua Bay (where the dolphins were)

Anniversary dinner

Southpointe, Hawaii (the southern most part of the USA)

On the volcano!

Rain (I had shorts on)

Sacred beach

Hot snorkeling

Black sand beach. 

IT WAS AN AMAZING TRIP. WE LOVE HAWAII and the great family friends who showed us an unforgettable time.

(Will it limit the amount of pictures I upload in one post???)

Can you tell I don't want to study for my test?