Waking up in Vegas...

Well, I don't feel like I have a lot that's new, but I guess most of you don't hear from me every day, so it might be new to you.
School started a few weeks ago, and so far things are going good. Out of the 16 Special Education teachers I manage, I think I'm only going to have problems with 2 or 3, which is much better than last year. I also already have 3 expulsions going on, and I'm hoping it won't be this busy for the rest of the year. Our school was finally able to go Title I this year, so we have a lot of money to spend on new programs. I've only had to deal with a few crazy parent so far, but I'm sure there will be more as the school year continues.
We're still working on finding a house and have put in several offers. Vegas real estate is a crazy business at the moment. Fingers are currently crossed that something goes through soon, although I have had several people offer me a couch to stay on if I can't handle my roommates any longer! I really can't wait for Rick and Holly to move down here!
So, in all, things here are good. I've been getting out more, so I'm not quite as bored as I normally was. My friend has tickets to the UNLV vs. Oregon State game next weekend, so that ought to be fun. Plus, a bunch of us at work got a discount for one of the shows downtown, and are trying to decide on a date to go. Here's to a great school year!

Portland...

There are some things I definitely miss about the Pacific Northwest, and Portland is one of them. I think I just like the uniqueness of it. This morning Kat and I went to Voodoo Doughnuts... although the line was long, the doughnuts were definitely unique!

http://voodoodoughnut.com/

The original voodoo doughnut

I got a somewhat plain maple doughnut face, while Kat got a banana fritter topped with chocolate, peanut butter and cocoa puffs!

We also went to Saturday Market. I think I must have been a hippie in a former life, because I just love all the cool artwork and homemade stuff!
http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/

Growing up I took all of it for granted, and now that I have moved away, I find that I miss it all. Not enough to move back, but enough to make visiting really fun!

Fun in the Orchard...

On the way to the orchard...
Picking apricots...
Picking cherries...
We also picked raspberries at another farm in Spokane. It was really fun to eat fruit fresh off the tree! While picking raspberries, the farm we were at also had tay berries, a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. Most had already been picked, but we were able to sample some. Very different flavor, not really my style. But I LOVE the raspberries and have been snacking on them all day!!!

There are no words for this...

So, when visiting Kathy, you just never know what's going to happen!

Family...

The past few weeks have been busy and full of adventures. Here are a few of the highlights...

• House sitting for a fellow teacher
• Del Sol graduation, followed by food and drinks at an Irish pub
• Rick and Holly visiting Vegas for a week
• Eating at favorite restaurants, including Roberto's taco shop, Bahama Breeze and a Japanese place in China town
• Spending all day with a Realtor, looking at and putting in offers on houses
• Kathy coming to Vegas
• Wandering around the strip a few times
• Visiting the Ethel M's chocolate factory and the Cupcakery (Yummy!)
  
• Picking cactus brambles out of my thigh
• Driving to Oceanside using Bill's non-directions
• Staying with Tina's parents in their amazing gorgeous home
• Relaxing in the hot tub each night
• Riding a boat out into the ocean and having the dolphins swim with us
• Bill catching a fish, a small fish
  
• Learning to drive a 4-wheeler through the avocado orchard
• Driving back to Vegas and stopping near the World's Largest Thermometer to get some NoDoz
• A very long nap to recover...

Now for a few weeks of nothing and then off to more adventures!

Worth it...

Over the past few weeks, there have been a few things that have made this school year entirely worth all the hard work I have put in.

• My efforts at pushing the school towards full inclusion have paid off in that more than 4 times the number of Special education students passed the proficiency exams than last year.
• Twice as many sped students graduated this year compared to last year.
• One of my student brought me flowers and a candy lei (filled with life savers) and said thank you for saving my life. I had never been to a sadder meeting, parents/teachers/counselor/student in tears because he wasn't going to graduate - we worked out a deal, and he did an incredible amount of work and is now graduating. He's such a great kid, and I am so glad I was able to help.

I am looking forward to the break, although I will probably still go in and work over the summer. I am mostly looking forward to the break from all the staffing and drama issues! I am now pretty sure I will never go into administration, because I never want to deal with personnel issues again!

Adventures in color...

So, after giving it some thought, I decided to go back to my original hair color. I called Tina to get some advice and was a little nervous after hearing all she had to say. When I first got to the salon, my stylist tried to convince me to go darker, then get highlights; as I really didn't want dark brown hair with pink highlights, I chose to take the longer route to color correction.

Round 1 - bleach, stint under hairdryer (burnt my scalp due to heat, not bleach), and first trip to sink - hair was now orange and red. Round 2 - different bleach, stint under steamer, second trip to sink - hair was now bright orange and yellow (think Carrot top or girl in 5th element). Round 3 - two different hair dyes, more time under hair dryer and third trip to sink - hair was now mostly brown, with some underlying orange-ish strands. Round 4 - more hair dye and bleach for highlights, fourth trip to sink - I didn't see hair at this point, but the stylist seemed quite concerned and had to consult with another stylist regarding the color of the highlights. Round 5 - still at sink, toner applied to hair - hair is now a few shades darker than my natural with highlights. Round 6 - haircut, blow dry, more haircut, flat iron, more hair cut. Total time - 8 hours.
In the end, it's only a little darker than my natural shade and I think after a little time I can get it back to normal. I loved the red and would go back to it in a heartbeat, but it's a lot to maintain and I'm trying to make life simpler.