We just got back early this morning from a wonderful trip to Monterey. Adam’s aunt and uncle live in Monterey and we wanted to go and get some sun and enjoy the beautiful sites by the bay/ocean. Adam’s parents joined us too! The vacation had the perfect balance of relaxation and fun activities. Here is a quick break down of our trip:

Thursday
-Flew to Monterey
-Relaxed and went swimming in the pool
-Ate yummy home made dinner with delicious dessert
-Trip to Community hospital when Adam broke a wine glass after doing dishes and cuts himself

Friday
-Tour of Evan Moor. Evan Moor is an educational publishing company…it’s a big deal for elementary teachers. Adam’s uncle is the CEO so we got our own private tour!
-Drove up to Big Sur and survived all those winding roads
-Ate lunch outside at Nepthene looking over the ocean
-Watched Star Wars on the big screen home theater system
-Had wonderfully made scallop dinner

Saturday
-Visited Carmel, although there wasn’t much sun
-Ate the best ravioli ever at Joe Rombi’s
-Watched Wall-E

Sunday
-Drove out to Carmel Valley
-Ate lunch at Corkscrew Cafe
-Tasted wines at Joullian and Robert Talbott (Talbott makes wonderful Pinot Noirs)
-Another swimming trip in the pool
-Another wonderfully prepared home made dinner
-Watched Pan’s Labyrinth

Monday
-Visited Monterey Bay Aquarium
-Lunch at Sand Bar and Grill
-Last minute sun bathing
-Flew back to Oregon

It was an amazing trip and I plan to go back again!

I am exhausted, worn out, tired, wiped, drained…(you name it) from this school year. As the end of the year rolls around, with 3.5 days left to go, I think back about how rough this year was. I had so many students with really intense behaviors, and I still have a few who are testing my patience until the very last day. I still love my job, but my mental sanity is probably at its lowest. Just a few more days to go…

Work has been taking up most of my time, but I am looking forward to summer. So far we have good balance of vacation, relaxation and work. This summer we are head to Monterey to visit Adam’s aunt and uncle, spending 4th of July with both families in Salem, spending a weekend in Black Butte and shorter trips around to various places in Oregon. In addition, I have a conference in Orlando at the end of June. At the end of the summer, we are going to have 10 days off of work for vacation. We have no plans and we like it that way. It will be a nice break for me between summer school and the new school year.

Also, our yard is looking fabulous…in my opinion. The mound of dirt has been moved to our side yard and the front of the house looks great! Our garden is growing rapidly with many herbs and lettuce almost ready to eat. This weekend we added spinach and dill to our beds…but we didn’t add any Ginger (insert laugh here).

Just a few more days (sigh)…