Wow! Getting a tan in January? Only in California!

Wow! This was an incredible weekend! Not only was it 3 days long-wahoo! But the weather was incredible. Luke had his first all-star soccer tournament. 2 games each day. They ended up getting 3rd. For their first, I think this was pretty awesome. Sitting outside in the hills of Corona, in the sunshine, looking out at the valley and across to the mountains-which still have snow-was amazing. Forget the Rose Parade--this is the reason people want to move here. A friend has family out from Wisconsin, and they left 18-20 degree weather behind. Their plane had to be de-iced on the runway. We even had to put on sunscreen. Besides the Southwest, what other place can you get a tan in January???? I dread going back to school tomorrow....

Students and Teachers return to school Monday....

Oh the beauty of Christmas vacation...(note the intended non PC terminology used). The family, the fun, the sleeping late, the delicious food that I ate too much of, the sickness, the overdose of TV. Yet, this moment, right before going to bed, the night before heading back to school, is so precious. It holds excitement of seeing people again, regret that the vacation is almost over, and the looking ahead to "when is the next day off?" Oh that's right, Martin Luther King, Jr day will be a Monday we get off soon.  Okay, I think I can make it :) I'm sure my students will say or do crazy things tomorrow to make me glad to be there and thankful that I have a job that isn't for the faint of heart. So, bring on the Monday, God, and help me get rest tonight that I will definitely need to start up in first period.

The world travelers are home!!!

Through pouring rain we drove to LAX to pick up our 2 sons who flew home from Paris, France. It was sooooo good to see them round the corner at the airport. They had a great time. Of course we then drove-through MORE pouring rain- straight to our local IN N OUT burger for dinner. One even got thrilled that "They speak American here!" The investment we made in sending them, fully accomplished what we hoped it would- they practiced their French- a ton! They were shocked that French people don't say a simple "Bless you,"but in French of course, when someone sneezes. They appreciate being American, living in America. They are glad we don't have gypsies here :) Their streetwise skills were put to the test as the gypsies and weird, drunk Parisians needed to be pushed away from their traveling companions. Above all they saw, in person, the beauty of landmarks previously only seen in books or on TV- the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre Coeur and Monmartre, the Notre Dame and other cathedrals, and the Champs Elysee. It made us as parents both proud and envious as we saw their pictures and heard their stories.
Thank you God, for answering prayers for safe travel!

A New Year, New Adventures...

Some people think where we live is perfect. I happen to think it's pretty cool, but far from perfect. Real people live here in Mayberry Hills, so there will always be something crazy going on to share. Right now, some of our Mayberry Hills High School kids and family are enjoying a trip to Paris, France. They got to see the lights of the Champs Elysee from the top of the L'Arc de Triomphe. As for those who stayed home, we battled colds/coughs and watched plenty of TV.  We can't wait to hear about the world travelers' adventures once they return....