San Diego Or Bust

This weekend I went to San Diego for a conference for educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. My friend and co-worker, April, suggested we take the train from Grover Beach since she did that the last time the conference was held in San Diego and said it was a blast. The thought of driving 7+ hours from Fresno, sitting in traffic, stopping 80 times to pee since I have a baby pushing on my bladder, and having to focus on nothing but the road for the entire trip was not appealing. The idea of relaxing on the train, eating snacks, chatting and playing games with friends, and reading fluffy magazines, on the other hand sounded fantastic! So... April, Nicki, Kaleena, and I drove to Grover Beach, where we picked up two other friends/teachers, Joanna and Kelly, and headed down south.

April was right, the train was so much fun!!! We played Blokus (which may be my new favorite game and which I actually managed to win once on the way back), had hilarious conversations, read magazines, crocheted (me-a baby blanket for a friend, April-a baby blanket for her daughter's doll), and munched on snacks from our bags and the cafe on the train. I have been on many looooonnnng flights and this was WAY more fun. The time flew by and even though it ended up taking us longer to get there if you counted the train plus the drive time to Grover, it was definitely worth it to get to play instead of drive.

Once we got to San Diego we took a cab from the train station to our hotel. April, Nicki, and I ended up with a taxi driver we will never forget! He asked us why we were in San Diego and Nicki explained we were there for a conference and that we teach Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. The cab driver, who barely had a grasp on English, said he always wanted to learn sign language. April and I laughed hysterically/prayed we wouldn't crash while Nicki taught our driver how to sign the alphabet. Here is a picture of our new student showing off the letter "F"!

The conference itself was pretty good. There were some really good speakers and workshops, but I think the best part for me was the professional and social networking and the opportunity to improve my signing skills. Unfortuanately, there weren't many workshops geared toward the student population I work with and it did make me miss having my own classroom just a little bit. However, when I thought about my students and the fact that I only work three days a week, I definitely do appreciate the job that I have.

The best comment of the trip, and one that I unfortuanately didn't witness first person, was after Kaleena tripped on a step and fell really hard, a woman turned around and signed, "Are you alright?? I'm DEAF and even I heard you!" Hilarious!

Other highlights from the trip:
Making new friends (Hi Kelly!!)
Catching up with old friends
Exchanging ideas and war stories with other people who work with students like mine
Eating yummy food at Pat and Oscars
Watching the sun set over the ocean on the train back
and last but certainly not least....

...I felt the baby move for the first time!!! I was sitting in a keynote presentation on Friday night when I felt a tapping low in my tummy, like fingers drumming on a table. I turned to April and told her what I felt and she agreed that's exactly what it feels like when the baby moves at this stage! It was so awesome and I can't wait to feel it again!

Amazing

Today I went to my see my doctor for my 16 week appointment. The absolute greatest thing about this appointment was that I got to listen to the baby's heartbeat!! At 16 weeks I've just barely started to look pregnant (if you didn't know there was a baby in there, you'd think I'd just indulged in too many cheeseburgers) and I can't feel the baby move yet, so being able to check in and hear the heartbeat is really reassuring that everything's still going ok in there. It's such an incredible sound and I can't believe that I'm actually listening to my baby!!! AMAZING!

Fabulous February

My excuse for major lag between posts is that I've been sick. Super sucky sick. Seven days with no sleep, stuffy nose, coughing, sore throat, not allowed to take any medicine sick.

Aside from the germ infestation, two very exciting things happened in February. First, my awesome friend Ashley had her baby!!! Little Colin was born February 17th and he is adorable!! Bryan and I went to the hospital to welcome the newest member of our posse on his birthday. So tiny! I have also been lucky enough to be able to visit a few times now that he's home. He just keeps getting cuter and Ashley and Chris are doing a great job as new parents! I can't believe in a 5 more months it will be my turn!

The second great thing to happen was my birthday!! I think birthdays are special because it's the one day of the year when you get to celebrate YOU! (and in this case..me) I invited a group of friends to go out to dinner at my favorite teppanyaki restaurant. The food was great but the best part of the night was watching 9 month old Annie watch the chef cook. The look on her face when he made the onion volcano was priceless! After dinner, our friends David and Sarah came up to do a little gambling with us at the local Indian casino. This year my birthday gave me good luck and I had a great time playing 3 card poker until the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately for my partners in crime, my birthday luck was not contagious. I found myself making friends with random strangers at my table pretty early on in the evening when Bryan blew through his money in the first 45 minutes we were there.

Aside from a tiny incident where I tripped and fell and was mortally embarrassed in the lobby of the casino hotel, I had a fantastic birthday and I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and fabulous friends!

Author's Corner

I officially just had the BEST BOOK CLUB EVER!

This month my book club picked the book Lottery by Patricia Wood. Lottery is one of the most original and entertaining books I've read in a long time. The main character, Perry L. Crandall, has an IQ of 76 and wins 12 million dollars in the lottery. The book is about how Perry's unique perspective on life helps him navigate the notoriety brought on by his lottery win. It also illustrates how people are not always the way they seem at first glance and that if you slow down and listen, you can learn a lot more than the "average" person. I loved this book!

As you can see, I always post the book I am currently reading on my blog. Imagine my utter SHOCK when the author herself posted a comment on one of my posts!! She was alerted that I had posted her book on my blog and sent me a message saying that she hoped I was enjoying her book. SO COOL! I sent her an email letting her know that we were reading Lottery for book club this month and she responded that she'd love to attend via Skype! So, last night we fired up April's webcam and had an hour and a half long book club discussion with Patricia Wood! It was so amazing to be able to ask her questions and she even told us three alternate endings she considered in addition to the one she chose. She was extremely down to earth and even showed us around her boat (she lives on a boat with her husband and cats, who we also met, in Hawaii). It was such an awesome experience and it was definitely the most lively and exciting book club we've ever had!
Unfortunatley, I'm totally spoiled now...do you think Nicholas Sparks will come to our book club next month???

Definitely Not In Redondo Beach Anymore

Way back when I first moved to Fresno a good friend asked me, "So are there, like, cows wandering down the street in Fresno?" (Insert sarcastic eyeroll here.) "Um, no. Duh." Was my witty response.

Well, it turns out aforementioned friend may not have been that far off.

As part of my job I frequently drive down very back-country roads to get to my more rural schools. I often must be super vigilant about watching the road because random country dogs can dart out at a moment's notice. However, today I saw something that was definitely unexpected. I was driving to my most rural school, plunked smack in the middle of nothing but fields, when I saw a truck slooooowly coming toward me. As I got closer I saw that there was a horse trailing the truck...not in a horse trailer as you might expect but actually tied to the back of the truck and trotting along!!

It's not exactly a cow wandering down the road, but it's pretty darn close.

Do Not Adjust Your Screens!

What you are looking at is not a sea monkey, alien, or manatee....
IT'S OUR BABY!!! (In case you're not familiar with looking at ultrasounds, the head is on the right and that little thing sticking up in the middle is an arm waving at us! You can also see a dark spot in the middle of the body...it's the heartbeat!)

That's right, I'm pregnant!!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I feel really lucky because I have been feeling really good so far. I only had a few weeks where I didn't have much of an appetite, but, (knock on wood) no puking!! Yay!

We are so thrilled and so are our families! This is the first grandbaby for all of our parents so they are beyond excited. My mom has been telling all of her friends and coworkers and has gathered quite a cheering section. My dad mailed me a shirt that says, "Does this BABY make me look fat??" It's hilarious!

Unfortunately, there has been one small dark spot amidst all the excitement. My experience with the first doctor I saw was less than stellar. She was dismissive of my concerns, couldn't find the heartbeat in the first ultrasound even though she measured me at 8 weeks, and then measured completely differently at my next ultrasound. I was really scared that the difference in measurements meant that there was something wrong and instead of reassuring me, she told me I should be nervous although I should try to be on the excited side of nervous not the depressed side of nervous. Who talks like that to a first time mom?!?! Luckily, Bryan's boss at the hospital recommended another doctor and I made an appointment to see him. He's WONDERFUL!! He treated me so kindly and was extremely reassuring. He ran several tests to make sure everything was ok and his staff gave me 2 bags FULL of great prenatal information. He has completely changed my experience and I'm SO GLAD I found a doctor who I trust and who I know will be supportive of me through this exciting time.

Stay tuned for frequent baby/pregnancy updates! It's gonna be a great adventure!!

Maui Wowee

Bryan and I were trying to figure out a good way to ring in the new year...so we decided to go to Maui!! One of the great things about being a teacher is that I get three weeks off for Christmas Break, and fortunately for Bryan, his job is pretty good about giving him time off when he asks for it. So, on Jan 4th, we left the socked-in fog of Fresno for the warm breezes of Maui.

This was our fourth trip to Maui and it is really such a special place for us. It was the first big trip we ever took together and Bryan's first experience snorkeling. We discovered some wonderful beaches and restaurants that quickly became our favorites. Every time we go back, we feel like we're home away from home.

This trip we decided to stay in Wailea since it's close to Makenna Beach (our favorite). We stayed at the Maui Prince Resort, which is one of the older hotels but has beautiful landscaping and a fantastic beach right out front.

Makenna beach is our favorite because it is a natural white sand beach with turquoise water. It's always beautiful there and we've seen some really amazing sunsets. We also got really lucky this year and spotted many, many whales spouting and waving right out in front of us! If you're looking for a little entertainment, you can climb over a cliff at the end of the beach to Little Beach on the other side. This beach is a "clothing optional" traditionally hippie beach where you can frequently catch naked hula-hoopers alongside naked yoga. Definitely not your typical beach experience!

We also explored a little and came upon La Perouse Bay. The whole beach is covered in black lava rock, which makes for a stark contrast against the bright aqua of the water. It was incredibly beautiful!! There was even a naturally formed arch in the lava rock that caused the water to crash up through it like a blowhole. Very cool.

After YEARS of me pestering him, Bryan FINALLY decided to do a Scuba diving resort course. And guess what...he loved it!! He was nervous at first, but got all the nerves out in the pool portion and did a great job in the ocean. He plans to do the full course to become certified so hopefully there will be some cool dive vacations in our future!

A Maui vacation wouldn't be complete without a Luau, so we decided to try the one offered at our hotel. We had gone to the Royal Lahaina Luau in the past and enjoyed it but this was a much more intimate experience. The luau is much smaller so there isn't a bad seat in the house, the scenery was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the show was great! We really enjoyed ourselves and it was a great way to spend one of our evenings.

Going to Maui in January is always a gamble because it's one of the rainiest times of the year. Fortunately, we totally lucked out and had gorgeous weather the entire trip! The water was calm, the weather was warm, and the skies were clear. We were able to snorkel several times and got to see our favorite ocean friends... sea turtles! The snorkeling right out in front of the hotel was amazing, full of coral reefs and beautiful fish. The water was crystal clear and very calm which were perfect conditions for snorkeling and turtle watching.

We had such an amazing time that it was extremely hard to leave! The days whizzed by and before we knew it, it was time to go home. Our flight didn't leave until the evening so we decided to check out the Iao Valley, something we had never done before. It's so green and lush, which is such a contrast to the sparkling beaches. Maui continues to be one of our favorite places, and no matter how much we travel, it is definitely a place we will always return to again and again.