cabrio tod: wednesday november 12

without detail, i wanted to update those who read the blog that I have in an accident on Wednesday, and while i was checked out and given a partially clean bill of health (aside from bruises, aches, pains and anxiety) my car was not as fortunate. In its sacrifice to save me from the same fate, it was totaled and assessed at $300. This is a really difficult end to my first car that i was able to purchase with my parents, and a huge blow to our capability to produce a down payment on a new vehicle.but we are trusting that God will provide for our replacement. Prayers are appreciated as we continue to adjust to life here in SD, test drive an expensive new purchase, and healing for my body.

on other terms, school has gotten very interesting, and while the students are difficult (considering the multitude), the staff and job are still absolutely amazing, and i still wake up wanting to teach at Standley. amazing.

levi is happy. and stressed. but mostly happy. and soooo supportive of me and my process following the accident. love him. perhaps someday he'll post too.

prayers to all.
and love.

Long-anticipated update (from room 510)

Wow. it certainly has been quite a long time since we've updated any of you on our lives here in san diego. many things have changed. most for the good.

We left you at Levi on an old project and myself being released from my subbing position at Crawford high. Since then, Levi has progressed, is working overtime (more on this), and I am the newest teacher at Standley Middle School. this one will be around for the rest of the year, thank God. I am teaching all 8th graders, three periods of regular English, one of GATE English, and one study skills section consisting of two alternating classes. For those of you keeping score, that's 184 kids not counting my advisory class of 30. (its a 25 mintues class each morning to keep the kids from falling behind without anyone knowing about it).

it is a huge classload.

wait. i apologize for the biggest understatement of this blog.

its a HUGE classload.

The staff here and the faculty are amazing. The support is undeniable. And the resources are adequate. However the children are having an unbelievable time adjusting to a new teacher after 6 weeks with, from what i'm told, is the "most amazing teacher in the world. " The kids told me this in their letters to me on the first day of school. oh children.

so what results from this for me is a string of extremely taxing days. in fact, my first "good" day was today, when a field trip for spanish claimed 5-10 kids from each class. Bliss. The kids worked today, they were quiet (kind of) today. I didn't feel as overwhelmed today. Wow. What a contrast to yesterday, where i experienced my first ever fight, in my classroom. gnarly girl fight, resulted in blood, chaos, and three combined days of suspension. I fear mostly the social rejection of the second girl when she returns tomorrow to school. She has a sad story, and the kids aren't accepting of her. There is a possibility of an intervention in my second period. more to come on that.

i also saved a kid's life.

read that again.

go ahead.

saved.a.kids.life.

uh huh.

i sent him to the nurse because he was loopy. kids said he fell down a lot, so i got him to look at me, i checked him out, (in my head) deemed him drunk or concussion(ed) and sent him to the nurse with a friend. turns out he had gotten a concussion in pe the period before mine, nifty. he was still out of it today, but i think i am going to hold it over him (since he is a behavior issue) that i saved his life. he'll thank me, i'm sure, by doing homework for once.

ha.

On happier terms (at least for us humans), our children were fixed (Aunt Laura is da' bomb), and declawed, and vaccinated, and dewormed. woot. here are some of the pictures to prove that they are upset with us, and totally drugged out:

Emmy is practicing her teenage "i hate you" look...

Tony is totally out of it, but hey, lookie! He likes his crosswords, just like his Mommy!

Emmy had a little difficulty waking up... (needless to say, Tony was apparently up and eating by the time Auntie and Nana showed up).

and this is what you look life when you do drugs. yay for red ribbon week! :P

The house has been extremely quiet for the past week while they have been up in ventura getting healthy, and i miss them. can't necessarily say the same for levi. ah well.

This weekend looks like the fourth busy weekend in an even longer string of weekends that we haven't been in town for. we are trying to get into a church, but having trouble staying in town to, between Elsinore and Ventura. Hopefully we'll change that this weekend. We'll see. We need a little more God in our lives. :) But we are excited to celebrate Karynne's birthday this Saturday night, and get our children back soon. :D

can't wait. apologies for the Jillian-heavy blog this time. Levi can update at his leisure.

love to all.

A Day Wasted

Or so it seems. My first day at home since they decided at the high school that enrollment wasn't high enough to retain me in a full time position. It was a mixed blessing to be sure. I realized within a few days that the site wasn't exactly right for me. The students were admittedly more than I could handle, and most of the days I taught there, a legitimately volatile situation happened.

I have been exposed to different types of problems when it comes to schools: drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, and gang affiliations. I have dealt with specific students and their individual hurdles that prevent their ability to learn and thrive in the educational setting. However, the students in my classes these past three weeks are currently dealing with these issues, and not very well at that. On more than one occasion, students jokingly asked me if I had a joint for them to buy, and whether I drank (and if I did, could they please come over for a party.)

Granted these were sometimes said in jest, but these students were misguided in where the line falls between an appropriate relationship with an adult, let alone an educator, and another drug-doing, illegal drinking, sexually over-active teen. I apologize if my tone comes across as cynical, that is not my intention. Its simply that after three weeks of students raising their voices in absolute protest of an assignment or a direction, deliberate shows of defiance and walking out of my classroom, and countless pictures and poems of and about penises (drawn during my instructional time), I feel that this placement was too much for me to handle alongside a new marriage (more important), setting up a new house (more important), and beginning a new life in San Diego (still more important).

Hence, I will be a substitute for the district, and the school has been very receptive to hiring me per diem as well. A mixed blessing in itself. Same kids, but at least I don't need to expose myself to the same issues every day. Instead, I have the ability to accept or decline jobs, so I'll have the time off when I need to emotionally recharge myself. Prayer is appreciated.

On another note, Levi is very happy with his job. He is currently working on a project that redesigns the 72 highway, and updates it according to the newest CalTrans surveys...we'll see if the renovations happen. Currently it is an explorative assignment. More updates on whether you should get excited when you drive on that specific on/off ramp to come! ;) (Seriously, take pictures. He'll be famous.)

Hey! And good news! We'll be visiting New Mexico with my parents to spend Christmas Eve/Day with Ouma and Oupa, and then fly to Boston/Providence by way of Chicago/Dallas to attend the Ryan Family Reunion in RI. So we'll spend New Years with the hubby's side. Ooh, and we get to spend Christmas a week early with the Lake Elsinorians. So we get Christmas twice this year. Perhaps juggling families isn't that bad after all. ;)

Love to all,
The Ryans

Wow-WEE

We are finally settling in down here in la Holla'. I mean la jolla. ;) our house is really cramped with all the boxes, but a major accomplishment yesterday was clearing the floor in the bedroom and living room. yay. enough to vaccuum. and the laundry (all seven loads) was done too! :)

we are heading up to jehaan and julie's wedding tomorrow, so i'm not looking forward to more time in a car, but seeing all our friends again will make up for it! :)

last noteworthy thing to post: i got a pseudo-job today! I'll start as a sub for a week, and if enrollment is enough to warrant a contract, i'll be offered a position! :) yay.

besitos.

OMG

fewer than six days until we are married! we are sooo excited to be partying it up with all of our very special friends.

did the seating today. joy!

I had the most amazing bachelorette party last night! It was intimate, with a few very close friends. And i very dearly missed those close friends that couldn't make it last night. it was exhilarating to ride a mechanical bull! SO fun! the bartenders were so nice, and the dancing on the stage with the dj was hilarious! My poor sister was only 18, so i don't think that anything was quite as funny to her, but it seemed she still got her kicks and giggles in! and that's all the information i'll divulge online. ;)

i hope you are all having blessed weeks in your own lives, i look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

ps: i love levi.

Waiting

90 hours and 20 minutes till Jillian's plane arrives.

Babies!

No, not the human kind...

Levi and I got kittens yesterday! We have a black one and a black and white one. As of yet, unnamed. :) Any ideas? They are sooo precious...just not so precious when they're potty training...whew. I'm exhausted, and feeling the single mom syndrome...to a pathetic degree i'm sure any real mom would argue. :P

My babies: