a premature reflection of 2009

January:
Tough month, considering what I was going through with my classes. I was having particular difficulty returning from the two week vacation, and more than seriously considered not returning to school. At all. My students, as you can probably recall from my earlier posts, weren't making things easy on a first year teacher, and administration upon reflection, did little to support my situation. In the end, the knowledge that I would be destroying my career convinced me to return. We also bought our first car together, and the first one for both of us without any outside support. It was a very independent step and we were grateful to be able to accomplish what we did.

February/March/April:
The most poignant event that my mind most recalls was the day that Levi lost his job, which turned out to be a blessing and an answer to prayer, when looking from the final days of the year. Thank goodness he didn't draw out that news. I literally walked in the door, asked him how his day was, and he replied, "Well, it was my last at D____." He wasn't being fulfilled professionally or spiritually through his work there, and though we certainly needed the income considering our monthly expenses living in SD and the new car, we both knew he wasn't happy where he was. At school, I was receiving verbal threats from some students while others began to warm to me. Parents were harassing me, and some students were confiding in me their problems and joys and anxiety about moving onto high school. It was a difficult time, yet also one wherein I felt I was finally "getting the hang of it." This, I've come to find, was a false confidence. I'm still learning and making mistakes.

May/June/July/August:
Well, these months held diligence in job searching, my first promotion ceremony as a teacher for my eighth graders, Levi's 24th birthday and our first wedding anniversary (what a year to be thankful for!). Levi searched incessantly, applied to every job available, and due to the economy, never heard much back. My eighth graders graduated, acted like they were appreciative ;), and I received notification that the district may not be able to hire me back. That meant I would lose the coworkers/friends I was so thankful for and any guarantee for a job in the fall. It also meant no health care or salary for the summer. Thank goodness for the department of unemployment! This economy has taken a grave toll on the people in every job sector, and we were foolish to have hoped that we would escape unscathed. Regardless, the Lord kept us fed and well cared for so we have much to be thankful for. For Levi's birthday, I got us year passes to the SD Zoo, which we enjoyed that day and several since. Its a fabulous place, ideal for some pretty cool pictures. The first anniversary was a modest one that served to remind us that it is us and God that keeps our marriage what it is, and its not the material things that we tend to put value in that do so.

September:
I began a new job in the same district, and with this new blessing, my schedule filled and didn't stop for anything! This job has become some an opportunity for growth for me, complete with an amazing staff and administration, countless trainings for the new technology, high-profile visitors in my class (one came all the way from the UK!), magazine photographers, and excited kids enjoying a new kind of enrichment learning. Its busy and fabulous. So many things to keep track of though, and less time for concentrating on keeping everyone happy, but I've done it so far, by the grace of God alone. (and maybe a planner or two).

October:
Levi got a new job! He was called by an earlier-established acquaintance, and was offered a position at a fabulous firm about forty minutes north. Its been a blessing to be sure. We also got Oscar for my birthday. His training is improving, though he is still a puppy! :) He's also an absolute doll. :)

November/December:
Thanksgiving was nuts- three houses in one day. Talk about holiday weight. Luckily, since Levi and I are both exercising semi-regularly (I'm "semi"- aren't you proud of me!?) we were able to avoid this Christmas Cushion so far. :) We are so thankful for time away from our busy, consumed lives and time with family and friends who mean the world to us. Thank you for making this year what it has been. Thank you for those who have made the attempt to contact us, and those who stuck in there, knowing how crazy we've been this year. Thank you to those who have supported us through actions, words, and calls, and for those who've made the trek to see our new place. We are so thankful for all that we have and more for that which we don't have so that we can be more focused on those things that are more important in life.

See you in the new year,
Stay Safe,
Stay Close,

Jillian and Levi.

December

December has seemed to have flown by, but I believe its quite the opposite when I reflect on what our December held for us. We were both in great need of some down time, some family time, and some friend time. First off, there was the cruise...

The Poached Pear. While it looked pretty, I can't say the same for the taste. But to the cuisine's credit, this was the ONLY dish that we didn't approve of...

As the picture says it all, Laura loved her desserts.

What's an album without a booty shot? All four lovely ladies in Catalina Island, our first stop.

Julie and I on the boat that shuttled us from the ship to the island. This was the only one wherein we both smiled...call us silly. The lady behind Julie more than made up for us...late night frivolity anyone?

In Mexico, we got to ride horses on the beach (yes, we galloped, and yes we were all extremely sore the rest of the day), we saw La Bufadora (amazing...), and of course, we stopped to shop the flea markets. Here, you'll see a guy that Julie and Laura haggled incessantly with, though from his expression, clearly he didn't mind too much...

We took a few random pictures...

And I'll leave you with an almost perfect shot. Thanks Jamie (?) for the bunny ears. Hott.

More on December to come.

Meet Oscar.

Or, as his papers will state, "Sir Oscar Pablo the Wookie Neruda"

ok...so i'm not sure if the poet insert will work with Levi...I'm still pushing for it though...
Maybe we'll just call him "Sir Oscar the Wookie, an Ode to my Socks"...or something equally ridiculous.

But in real life, he'll answer to Oscar. :) More pictures to come.


He's three and a half pounds, and nearly five months old. He was born on the Fourth of July, and conceived on Cinco de Mayo. This pup's got spunk. But he's learning quickly that he has rules to follow, just like Tony and Emmy.

Check out...

My other blog for some interesting poems I found recently in a box my parents dropped off in San Diego...

http://secondaryedthoughts.blogspot.com/

Wow. blast from the past.

New Beginnings

Five weeks ago, I started sixth grade for the second time in my short life. (check out the pre-first day pics) It has been a trip, and I am truly grateful for what God is continuously blessing me with through this job. I was skeptical in August when I got the job. I was dubious on day 2 when the kids were still leaving my class at the end of the period and coming back just to say thanks. I was still hung up on finding some hitch. There have been a thousand different warnings from various people about random, unrelated things at this new place.

But God has been unyielding in his blessings.

I am not coming home stressed and crying every night-- not an unfamiliar or infrequent occurrence last year. I don't have any TMJ, any heart palps and not one parent has called to have me fired. Kids are still happy with me, despite the grades that went out today. I have, for once in my life, been completely excited to celebrate my birthday at school. Elementary was full of rejection, middle was awkward avoidance of real issues, and high school was short lived. Last year, the eighth graders literally could not care less. Two months in last year I was receiving death threats, parents calling to tell me I'm a horrible teacher, and students calling me unbelievable names.

I received little respect for my iron hand. This year it seems i've successfully slipped on the velvet glove.

I am excited and a little scared for Back to School Night and Shadow Your Student Day (really, who thought of that one!?), but I am ready in the sense that I know not all the students and their parents are out to literally defame my character outright and unabashedly. I look forward to meeting new people, making myself vulnerable, all while knowing that parents are parents- they're out for the best for their child, not for my job or my character.

I had a little breakdown a few weeks ago, when BTSA, school, and my Masters program all started to pick up. I was frazzled, not knowing when things were happening, constantly stressed that I was missing some meeting or late on some personal assignment. But God came through again, through Levi. He set up my outlook, added in my appointments, and synced it with my phone. I'm cured. I'm not stressed. I am completely organized and so far, staying on top of deadlines and haven't missed any meetings yet. I've also finally mastered the art of planning ahead for classes, and setting the room before I leave for the day. All copies are made, all papers are graded, all agenda items are written up just above the homework. The class calendar is filled out, the due dates are posted and the PowerPoints are made to be shown on the board in the morning. I have no time in the morning to do anything, arriving usually just 15 minutes before class begins, but I'm not stressed in the morning since it is all set the day before.

God is good.

A Confession: A Pandora's Box, If You Will...

Alright, I don't really confess much in my own life, not to myself, my husband or anyone else for that matter. Its not that I'm perfect, I just don't think I'm doing anything worth confessing. Nothing is significant enough to bring me a modicum of guilt that can only be abated by dumping my burden on someone else. However, a week ago, a little bit of my guilt was treated to a reward...sound twisted enough yet? Long story short:

I have been perusing the craigslist ads for weeks now, desperately wanting to adopt a dog. Particularly a boxer. Its all I've had my whole life, they are excellent dogs, and I wanted one of my own since my parents are refusing to allow me to snag Meisie. After several weeks of only finding older dogs, I switched to the smaller breeds: King Cavalier Spaniels, Maltipoo Hybrids, Toy Poodles and the like. I figured if I couldn't find what I wanted the most, I would settle on what satisfied my desire the second most. Completely irrational, I completely agree. WELL, after realizing that my quest was ridiculous, and realizing that the real problem was probably just boredom, and after seeing several older dogs for adoption from SecondChanceDogRescue.org (check them out!), I stumbled onto a forum that listed about twenty dogs that needed fostering before they could be adopted into "Furever" ( i WILL NOT take credit for that one...) homes. The dogs are coming straight out of shelters, surrendered for random behavioral issues or picked up from the streets as strays.

I thought it was an intriguing alternative to actually owning a dog and assuming all the responsibilities that came with that, and got in contact with the group. They were very eager for Levi and I to get involved and asked us to come by to pick out a dog. When we showed up, there were about fifteen or so dogs running around this woman's yards. The most hyper of which was a dutch german shepherd. (Do you see where this is going yet?) Pandora, as she was lamely named by her previous owners, was constantly fighting for attention from the humans, and running in circles around the yard. Jumping into the fountain to drink dirty water and reaching up to eat leaves off a poor tree that had most likely been stripped before by this particular dog, the shepherd was obviously a handful for anyone. The woman pushed her onto us (in a most polite way) and Levi was holding back his excitement as best he could in front of her. In true car-buying fashion, as soon as the "saleswoman" walked back into the house to answer the never-silent phone, he would quickly turn to me to see what I thought. We concurred that we would be able to handle her, and that we were eager to take her home to prepare her for her forever home. (I refuse to use that silly word again.)

We took her with us, went to the pet store to grab a toy and a bone so that she would leave our furniture and our cats alone, and took her back with us to take care of her for a little while. The rundown of the last five days with her is as follows:

• We've changed her name to Panda. Pandora is ridiculous, she doesn't listen to it, and it sounds completely stupid to yell "Pandora" at a dog park. Panda is now her name.
  
• She's 50% housebroken. Which means she "goes" outside about half the time. Guess what happens the other half. Ugh.
• She loves to run and is getting the hang of fetch, still working on that one.
• She struggles with "come"--we think she was abused in the past as she is extremely shy and nervous when this command is used. We are trying desperately to change that perception, and it seems to be improving.
  
• She knew "sit" when she came (but was horribly inconsistent), and has since improved immensely. She is also learning "stay" and "lay down", and is improving greatly.
• She has also learned "heel" for the most part. She still runs in a crooked line however, and poor Levi has experienced the cartoon segment where the tree comes between the bike and the dog. The tree won. ;)

Its a learning process for both us and the dog. She was surrendered for "snapping at children" but has yet to display any aggressive tendencies. She was supposed "aggressive" which I don't believe. What I do believe is that she is ill-mannered. At 8 months old, she has been bounced around continuously. She was surrendered at 4 mos, and I seriously doubt that the previous owners spent any time attempting to train her before giving up on her. For the four months following her surrender, she has had no training, no immediate attention, no personalized relationships with any humans. What the dog needs and what Levi and I are attempting to give her, are manners. She needs to know how to fit into a family, and as soon as that happens, I firmly believe the right family will come along to adopt her.

And then we can start again with another dog. :)

Update to come, I swear!

Just as soon as I have some photographic evidence that all we unemployed peeps do is not to sit around the house doing absolutely nothing! A brief update though: went to vegas (twice), saw family (a lot), Granny Q is improving, and back in the home (and out of the hospital), my mom's surgery went splendidly (and she is recovering well), and the twins turned 19! Wowzers. I remember when I first met them, and then wanted to leave them at the hospital promptly after. ;)

Love to all, will upload soon!