A new look here!

Purpose was to get a comments area under each blog, b/c those are cool, even though I've only left comments like twice on other peoples ----

quicker than emailing them though!

The Links over yonder --> are always acting like a nuisance (horrible spelling there).

Welp, time to rest on my afternoon off!

Lost tennis tonight. Can't care about that, only caring about Wed, Thurs, and Friday happening asap to get to a weekend.

....a weekend with perhaps a joy ride on the new board?!? Pretty please! WOWEE!! AWESOME PURCHASE/GIFT/EXCITEMENT!

Alright, alrighty, I was just teasing about the FREELOADING comment last blog. Come on, ;)

Oh and Dad Casey dropped 10 pounds on a dime by "stopping the pop". CRAZY!

Talked to gramps last night for a while! He rules!

I'm out, have a good Wednesday tomorrow!

Gross to this day!

I was just feeling like--ugh, I don't want to be up front (of class) today at all. Then it was like oh, it is Monday isn't it...no wonder.

but NOT ANY MORE! Yes, a good victory to pass by, I coast from here on out!

2 away tennis matches requiring only 3 of 5 classes to be taught those days, Friday I cut out early due to 2 teacher buddies covering me that afternoon. We call it a "favor" b/c the office doesn't really know or care, and the buddies don't get paid the extra $11 slop pay for it.

Did you want all that explanation?

Something funny today was my T.A. (teacher's assistant--who is a senior in high school) ...was making a video for some class, and then proceeded to make a video of me being a spazy freak in 5th period today. It was funny b/c I was in the middle of making fun of the class, then telling them I will only see them one out of the next 5 class meetings! then other weird whatnots, that I didn't even know I was doing. HA!

Guess you'd have to be there (or see the video?) not really though.

Side bar: Casey dislocated his wrist lifting (weights) a couple weeks ago. A quick slop to the chiropractor today and it's all good (?). Yeah I'm shocked too that the chiropractor can do this. Yet I do know you (Tracey) have benefitted from facial chiropractics for sinus problems...or well maybe not so...heh, nevermind.

Looks like some people need a shout out ---> if you're reading this and not updating YOURS!? FREELOADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 3-1 tomorrow padres!

I'm off to preview "The Crucible" movie to be shown/taught to American Literature students later this week. Apologies for the incomprehensible ramble today in la bloggia de la torre y maria's.

p.s. did any of you know I sucked my finger until I was 11 years old? Hey! At least it wasn't pee, but those (teeth) braces cost a lot huh mom and dad? not sure why that thought came to the head.

A nice sunny and breezy day for us! We got a Game Day Bucket from KFC and it was yummy to watch the Browns play sloppy except for a nice 3rd quarter run, ending in a fumble.

Soon the Colts for Casey's sake for viewing, as I will pack up more stuff in our messy office. Pack up for Alaska to be moved to in 8 months.

Good to read the Santa Monica/San Diego people's thoughts.

MIKE! I love your song called Music. I never really heard as a complete package yet, due to downloading retardedness. Animals is really catchy too. Thanks to Dad I got 6 of your MP3s.

The rest of my fall will be soundtracked to Mike's music and Frou Frou (and if I give it my attention The Thrills).

Bo'ey turns one years old next week :)

Frou Frou, yes!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! YES!

9 + 3 miles, happened this evening! Tracey you know what I mean.

It feels great to be free this weekend! Free to last minute train that is, as you've been hearing over and over again :)

Next week and weekend is going to be awesome!

Friday I took the afternoon off and all of Monday! I have a feeling we won't be as sore as that 13 mile dealio race last January.

Thus, a good nap and up for some lunch and surf Sunday afternoon anyone? Well, sorrily (I like that non-existent word) I am only speaking to Matt and Trace :)

Matt I'll bring Starsky and Kill B. and Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Have a great weekend everyBUDDY!

P.S. earlier today...I wrote...the belowness...

Punishment going out to all the 6th period English 2 students of Mrs. Sanford!

Right now I sit in silence while they copy word for word out of their student handbooks. They treated the sub bad yesterday so I sit in silence enjoying a blog while their hands fall off..... :) la,la,la,

I wonder how the San Diego trip is going?

TODAY IS FRIDAY!

I've been battling a bit of the negativity today. Just ready to get out of California----not the beauty and awesome parts of it, just the way people are sometimes.

So for it to be Friday, is a great POSITIVE :)

Plans:
workout for triathlon that happens next weekend
fix bike tire
get haircut
relax
clean up classroom (tonight a little :)

Enjoy the great freedom Friday evening brings!

Farewell!

It was just one of those GOOD days! Good learning, good teaching, good fun, early practice, and early home in the afternoon.

DAD! I kept looking at your blog all week, and I thought I was "refreshing it" but it never showed your new ones till tonight! That makes me mad to know you wrote twice and I talked to you twice without knowledge of it.

i.e. your comments on Houston playing out west, etc.

Funny tiara link: I will buy the 17 cent priced tiara as opposed to the $17 replica, or the $165 one.

Here's an old memory I was thinking of tonight:

"Get those brown Eastland shoes slopped on, I'm off on my pink and grey converted BMX bike. Might as well drive barefoot, because the psuedoleather shoes and strings are stretched beyond belief.

I'm going to the city pool today. Magical, sparkling jumps and loopy flings around the water for a couple hours will do the trick for this sullen, swollen, humidity-filled day.

I had a pool pass last year, but this year I pay by the visit. It's only $1.50 but I need to bring an extra 35 cents for a small watermelon slush, and then more for some Now-n-Laters from North Grove. Wish I could get a full meal, like a hot dog.

The illegal path I take is through Country Club, past the McCullough's old house, and provides for a quick journey. Yet, the secret BMX hills and racing ramps hidden in the woods of the Country Club Golf Course tempt me as I shoot across the 2nd hole dodging in-flight golf balls and screams from elderly competitors.

Arriving, I chain my bike up, and the outdoor patio ping pong and pool room is filled with young boys and some girls my age. I could never make an appearance in there by myself.

So I pay the $1.50 and take my Eastlands off by an incognito chair way in the corner.

Hmm...is there anyone here I know? I should have brought my brothers..." (the end)

Justin/Mike--I lent some Psuedoshorts out today. Hope they fit. HA! I mean hope I get them back, and I will.

"You are ahead by a century..." - Tragically Hip

Good day sunshine.

Won the tennis thing.

Ate a good subway din din.

Then talked to some good 1040 folks.

This week is fast, and hope it gets faster and faster---well not really. Let's cherish each day right?

I only say that b/c I'm pumped for the triathlon next week. Not prepared, but pumped to just do it! Have fun, pace ourselves, try it you know? Cool!

On the Tuesday following (for I took Monday off), I shall wear my swim cap to school.

All day.

At the tennis match I have to coach too.

Well, probubly not, but it will be fun to wear it in the triath alone!

My classes are settling in and getting used to me. It's our 6th week of school WOWEE!

That's enough boring slur talk! I'm out of this dinky computer lab at 500 Orange!

He answers us.

I was thinking of things answered tonight. I was thinking of my brother Justin getting answers. I was thinking of this eternal conversation called prayer with our Creator.

There are some things I've prayed for, for a couple years now. (Wow, this is our third year in Chowchilla?! and I remember distinct prayers from when we first moved out here...)

And I've realized just tonight that the answers have arrived...from Him.

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! Justin, stick to Him. Family stick to Him. Friends stick to Him.

Samuel 1:12-16 Keep Pouring it Out!

As she (Hannah) kept praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her,'How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.'

'Not so, my lord,' Hannah replied, 'I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.'

1 Samuel 2:2-3 THE ROCK!

There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God.

'The Lord,' Hannah says, 'is a God who knows'

I like rocks. Out west here, there are boulders. You know, just like Wyley Coyote and Chris Farley with their boulders falling on them.

HUGE! Heavy, strong, powerful. WEIRD! And so many out here, founding those Sierra Mountains.

I like that reference to our Lord being a Rock. A gigantic Yosemite boulder.

"Mustard rock rolling foothills are speckled before us now. Tons of freshly trimmed almond and orange trees line this Highway 180, as we head east to the mountains of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

The trees exude frail, dry creepyness in the absence of leaves.

The uncommon crisp air, gets crispier as we ascend. Refreshing!

Boulders and sand fill the rest of the landscape, with misplaced cotton fields appearing at random intervals throughout foothill valleys. As we leave the dirt below, the dry hill whips up around for forty more miles."

- some jotted notes as we drove this morning

The highlights for these two parks are (and were for us) the HUGE TREES! We saw the Grant Grove including the General Grant Tree (3rd largest in the world) at Kings Canyon.

Then south in the Sequoia National Park we saw the General Sherman Tree which is (one of many I'm sure) National Christmas Trees.

General Sherman is the largest living thing in the world! THE LARGEST LIVING THING IN THE WORLD?!?! Wow!

47 feet wide wide, and that's all the way up to 300 feet staying in that thickness!

SO GIGANTIC!

Always good to be around things bigger than you in nature!

It only took an hour and a 1/2 to get there, and we took a nap at one of the groves. I perpetually slept the rest of the day basically in the truck too :)

Steak nachos at Tahoe Joe's capped our afternoon off, and a sleep monster continued to conquer my evening.

I did watch Mona Lisa Smile tonight though. It was not very enlightening. Some good things, but mostly disappointed 1950s women dealing with sad realities. Humph.

Side thought: I'm at a stand still with music of late. Rather enjoying random mixes from my IPOD as I work on the computer though. The Thrills and Stills are always ones I say, "Hey I like this, who is it again."

"What if it all means something..." - Chantel Kreviazuk

oh.

Justin. I pray for you.

Today.

This week.

Wow. It was so full. Full of the Lord's spirit. Full of the enemies' blatant undoing attempts.

This Friday evening is full of reflection now.

Today was no different in the fullness. My number 2 good senior tennis player got in trouble for skipping school or something and can't play for 2 weeks.

And...we play the best teams in the league for second round next week.

Who really cares about that. More importantly, one of my other senior players flat out admits an eating disorder, and then had to go home after only 10 mins. of practice due to serious complications of which she is seeking no help for........

WHAT!?

At which point I curse the American society in general! But we know the true culprit of this deceit on (seemingly mostly only) women of the world.

NEXT THOUGHT: Fridays are my Reading and Writing Center of layed back, do an activity and turn it in sort of actually have fun in English days :)

Nice, but today turned into many different realms of students and harsh realities being shared with me by the students themselves. About their problems, their families, their lives.

It all weighs my heart, my mind, my prayers. One however told me she got baptized last week! HALLELUJAH!

Can I even spell that? Side note is me flunking this girl last year in "college-prep" English only to have such another year with her this year (in soph English, but demoted to non-college)

WHOA! What am I rambling at there!?

JUST THAT THE LORD IS MOVING. I asked Him to, too, and there ya go. Thank you Lord! My full plate is wonderful!

"I love the timing in between the calm inside,
in the space where I can believe.
I believe there is a distance I have wondered
to touch upon the years.
Reaching out and reaching in.
I believe..." - Sarah McLachlan

Late night wanderings:

"Two things to do while waiting in the parking lot before a concert:

Eat grilled cheese
Sell grilled cheese" - a random funny Spin mag top of a list

Top 5 things to buy at North Grove Carry Out (that are better than Convenient (store)):

Chick-o-sticks
Cow tales
Laffy Taffys
Continual Now-n-Laters (purchased any and everywhere)
Individual large "Chewy" Sweet Tarts
More 1, 5, and 10 cent candy choices for longer into our lives
(Convenient went up in prices!)

"Yeah but I fill up the whole page" - Justin one ups Mary in journal writing at the Doll (Dial) House or at the TAFT pub in Edinburgh (?)

"You'll be accepting my apology...for taking things too seriously" - Get Up Kids sang this to me all month apparently.

(don't miss my earlier ramblings x2 for Thursday below this here)

I'd say Dad and matt are high ranking in the acting business.

This in regards to watching some pseudo shorts (with dad and advent season), and then remembering how natural matt was in Ready, Set, Bad.

And this is certainly not to downplay anyone else's acting ability.

Man, I just watched the 1995 version of Evil Dead in the Basement! Justin, you and Mike were so set in creativity even at that age!

earlier today I wrote... (below)

Four in a row! (TENNIS!)

Tomorow, Friday it will be, and happy we shall all be too!

This weekend, we're heading to two National Parks: Kings Canyon and Sequoia.

A day trip, that could be a night of camping if we're feelin' it there.

These are larger, fat sequoia trees like some famously fat ones. I do believe the most famous one is on the coast 3 hours north of San Fran at Jebediah State Park (Redwood National Park).

But we'll see some largies too!

Looking forward to that get away.

GET THIS!

We played Yosemite High School tonight and their coach went to BGSU! He's an old guy from Columbus and moved out here in the mid-80s just for the Rose Bowl aspect.

CRAZYNESS!

So this week was woozy doozy. The FCA clan (of which I help head up) had their first big rally. They give out free lunches and this week they actully had a travelling drama group do an amazing, touching, and truthful skit about how Jesus knocks on our door everyday! YES!

Then 2 tragic things/accidents happened to people I don't know, but that is effecting this community.

Then the annual, nation wide "See You At The Pole" went on Wednesday morning!

The Lord was there. The Lord was at the FCA rally. That God Almighty of ours is everywhere!

Hope your heart keeps saying yes to Him!

Yes, come on in Lord. Yes, I will do that Lord. Yes, I love you Lord!

Some side notes:
Erica your blog is intriguing :)
Justin, I am giving your blog the 20 mins. it deserves tonight.
Good to catch up on your life Matt
To one and all: I miss you and love you!

On that note, I'm off to eat a delicious cheeseburger and macaroni and cheese!

We won our 3rd tennis match in a row last night, bumping us up to 4-4 overall. Keep it flowing is the key!

Some juniors (Juniors in high school, 17 year olds) in high school are acting like 7th graders lately. Thus, I've felt like a babysitter. That's enough to spur you right out into Alaska and next career thinking...

At least we only have a half day of school today.

Mom and I are brainstorming some books. Craft ones. Mother and daughter ones. It will be cool.

Well, it stinks but the bell just rang. I'm half way through my half day. Hope all are well! Haven't been able to read blogs lately, looking forward to it today :)

YES!

Whatta good weekend!

I got tons of lesson plans done :) I even used up all the "toner" in the copier at school...and I was only into my December wkst copies! ARCE!

5th period English 3 has a kid named Julio Arce in it.

Today there was an FCA meeting, and it was envigorating! I'm looking forward to being a part of this SPORTS and GOD ministry avenue! :) YAH!

I just biked 4-5 miles and ran 1-2. A rough estimate b/c I was more concerned with my POD song rotation than keeping track of 4,000 laps on the track. Yeah, I was at the CUHS dirt track.

And Tracey (b/c you're the only keeping track of this motivation), I biked about 7-8 miles yesterday out in the country. Pretty sure my back tire is popped permanently, b/c today it was wasted---yet temporarily pumped up and usable for today's workout at least.

Side notes:

Only tennis matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays from here on out.

I'm playing phone tag with Trish Wulff, and shall catch up with her this week :)

A STARBUCKS is opening here in town on Sept. 17--THIS FRIDAY!

A NEW SONIC is opening 7 miles closer to us than the Merced one! Equalling 12 minutes from 500 Orange Ave!

I'm teaching American Literature beyond belief and I'm really into! Puritan talks all the way up to contemporary! Be prepared for boring comments on that :)

OTR's #6 song "Suitcase" IS ABSOLUTEY ASTONISHING!

Wish I could have been at Black Swamp this weekend!

Casey made tacos! I'm out!

"Why'd You love me in the first place...I can barely look at Your face...what ya doin' with a suitcase." (I capitalized the You and Your b/c I wanted too :)

The week is finally over!

No tennis, no nothing I don't want to do-----all weekend!

Unless you count the multiple hours of grading and lessoning planning I do have to do ONCE AND FOR ALL!

We don't want lesson planning whine on here the rest of the semester now do we. So I shall iron out the details of through January-ness ASAP, for both of my "brand new, never taught ever before in my life" English classes!

Yeah, I knew you would want another justification of why I would be overwhelmed again for my 3rd "first year of teaching" experience thus far in the career :)

Ahh, it felt good getting that out. Now moving on!

2 in a row for tennis! Wins that is!

Nice!

I have not trained a lick for the triathlon the past 2 weeks. Prior to that I did swimming and biking 1 to 2 times per week and running, not so much.

Traceeeeeey! You know the feelin' eh! Or hopefully you bumped yourself out of it as well.

Hey!

This weekend!

Me, the open road, the POD! Running, biking. Yes, let's go!

Well, Dad I really like your black and red blog design, you should keep it. And Mike I was laughing and giggling outloud at your "yahoo love lady" blog I read the other day :) HA!

Eh, tiredness.

The team actually won a tennis match tonight though, and that was our 6th match in 1 week and 1 day. Yeah, you heard right.

My patience in teaching during the day is rather short and irritable, but at least I only have to teach 3 out of 5 periods. Thus, those 3 get the brunt of my snappyness.

I bought this book just for fun called: How to Quit Your Day Job and Become a Full Time Writer.

It's silly, yet informative and encouraging. My plan is to teach this year, next year (in Alaska) and MAYBE, maybe, maybe a second year in Alaska...all the while writing and writing.

Speaking of books, here's on my list to purchase from half.com soon:

Travels with Charlie, John Steinbeck
Rachel and Leah, OSC
Writer's Market
Root of Rejection
the next Detective Agency Book

Wait I just remembered that I wrote this list on a previous blog, how drab and dapper is that ridiculousness.

HA! My friend Jill Tracy used to babysit for this lady in beegee named Dapper. Dapper this, dapper that. Does she have a first name?

Kim! My goodness, I read your birthday excitement the other day, and forgot to say HAPPY BELATED! Happy belated! :)

So, Airca, I never knew "Mare is the sea in Italian.....Mare by the Mare"

Awesome!

And no I have not seen Napoleon Dynamite yet, unfornately, but soon! I've heard funny things!

Right this second I am watching 13 going on 30. It's cute and silly, but you know, normal :)

I also purchased Love Actually and Big Fish.

This night, weekend reminds me of my first year of teaching, where I ran all over creation doing this and that and anything fun, besides lesson plans.

Then whatever I came up with that midnight or even the morning of...is what we did in class.

Sloppy. Fun. Procrastinating.

Anyways, it's wait...wait...IT'S 1040 now! And I need to whip something up real quick and get to bed :) I'm going to end this blog, and try to have it say:

"Posted @ 10:40 p.m."

Wow! Ha! I just saw an ad for the Sept. 17 Wimbledon movie. Funny! And I will go, and I will make my tennis team go for "team bonding".

Cool!

I woke up in a refreshed, great mood. After yesterday, and last week, it's unexpected. Avoiding the negative details, I took just the varsity tennis team (8 players) to the coast at San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay area.

Got a Highway 1 glimpse of the ocean for about an hour, so that's all I needed to clear my head!

Never been there, it's neat but I like Monterey Bay/Pacific Grove/Santa Cruz way better. Not to mention the 3 and 1/2 hours it took to get there, and I was basically "working"...and driving FOREVER!

We almost won the match, and I really got to know several of the players in depth. We talked about the Lord a lot, the nation, the society, our school, and everything in between. Neat, surreal, odd----I'm 27. They're seniors in high school---they're honest about the drugs and alcohol problems in Chowchilla: teens and adults.

Humph.

So, Casey is at a teacher friend's house with a chain saw and the determination to cut down an entire large numbered acreage of orchards.

He's being a "man's man" cutting it all down, and selling it to fireplace/camping people, and looks to make a couple grand doing this. When he gets home, we may go to Barnes and Noble in Merced just to sit and have fun!

Side note: Alanis Morrisette's new cd is "okay". I no longer have "free" stealing downloading capabilities so I am committed to legitimate purchasing/sampling. Thus, I bought it. Ya win some, ya lose some. :)

Michelle and Tracey! Hilarious! I'm so pumped that you tried to run on stage with such enthusiasm, and after all that rule following annoyance, and 1 hour of sleep! Could you take pictures during the show? Did you take a picture of the bouncer?

Justin, I am disturbed and aggressive in my prayer for you. Stay strong, we love you. God loves you.

It's Bruce's birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day dad! Bo loves you! And so do we! Why isn't your cell phone on right now!?

The past two days I've rushed through my day spazzy and avoiding kids quizzical looks and ponderings about what's wrong with me. "Are you like hyper or something Mrs. Sanford?" Or "Did you have a lot of sugar or something?".

Your basic avoidance of student questions as I scurry out the door to yet ANOTHER tennis match. There are/were 4 this week, not including one tomorrow morning.

Leave time 6:30 a.m.

It will be sweet though! We're going to the coast! San Luis Obispo where Pismo Beach is (a place where all Chowchilla folk go for sand duning/camping, and whatnot vacation time.)

PLUS THE OCEAN! I wish all the kids had rides home (4 of 8 do) so that I could go and just sit on the beach.

Anyways, tonight we won against a shady, bad tennis ettiquette team named Fowler.

At least it was a million times better than Thursday night. On another side of carnival type shadyness, let's just say "the Chowchilla way" of doing things lots of times is QUITE ridiculous. And with an "ettiquete sport" like tennis, ...

IT WAS JUST FLAT OUT WRONG!(and pointless to explain here)

I caught Snow Patrol on Letterman last night, randomly after being a late night napper and waking up to it. Then just now I read your note on blog Matt!

Hope dad is watching the snailia mailia! I just picked up a couple little things for ya! Hope you can use or will like a bit of it at least :) Wish it was a Land Rover Defender from England on it's way over the ocean :(

Hope to talk with some of my fam this long weekend just to catch up and of course birthday wishings! Check ya for now!

It's national sewing month everybody!

Mom did you get your Joann's 40% coupon via email or snail mail? Email is faster and nicer to just print off.

One thought on the Joann's flyer though: it says "every white sewing machine is on sale".

I think they'll be in for it with the equal rights activists nowadays. Watch what you say Joann's! Man!

Also, it seems pretty odd that it's called Joann's. What if mom is in the CIA under the code name Joann's and really this whole time dad has been the front for all the BGSU money that comes in, etc.

Mom. Do you own Joann Fabrics?

It's only one more "n".

Feeling good today. We had a tennis match last night against a school named Selma (and Louise). We played so, so, so well, but lost 5-4. (Scoring to be dealt with as wins in all varsity matchups 6 singles and 3 doubles, thus ='s 9.)

So that was that! And from here on out I'm smooth sailing set! Matches consist of them performing and me saying about 2 minutes of coaching through all matches. IT'S A QUIET SPORT! And they can only come talk to me in between sets and games--and must do so quickly.

NICE! Plus we have the same exact "ladder" line-up for the whole first half of the season. Then only change it once more for the second half of the season. Have I realized yet that I'm coaching Varsity tennis?! It's interesting and neat, but I have to fax, call, email all the scores in etc. asap each match.

Well, I have some "me" stuff planned tonight b/c we practiced at 6 in the morning today, and "I'm freeee..eeee" (Plumb song).

Plus, I already made Case dinner of tacos and salad! We ate Edwards brand Lemon Merigue (sp?) pie. Also, hung out with him for a bit of quality ESPN football time.

Anyways, I will do the following tonight! Set up arts/crafts table, run 28 mins. with Bo and IPOD, do 22 min. pilate abs, rip some pics from England and throw some lessons together for tomorrow and next week.

Or I could just sleep starting from right now, until tomorrow morning?!?!