Sauk Mountain Hike

Here are the pictures of our hike up Sauk Mountain last Sunday. If you cannot see the entire picture, then click on the pictures to go to another page where you can click through at your leisure. I noticed that on one of our computers the whole picture shows up, and on the other it doesn't. : P

Back Home

I'm back from Michigan! It was an intense time of lots of work and little sleep. The picture above is of me and my classmates, which I'm sure you already guessed. The head of the MA TESOL program at Cornerstone University, Dr. Michael Pasquale, is on the back right. He is also the president of the Christian Educators in TESOL caucus this year.

I have been with this group for the past year and will continue online with them until May when I graduate. I'm not planning to make the trip (and expense) back to Michigan for graduation, so this was the last time that I will have seen many of them. I enjoyed being back in the Eastern U.S. having warm summer nights, listening to the 'music' of the cicadas in surround sound, and seeing the intermittent sparks of fireflies--all things I miss from growing up in Georgia. Michigan is a pretty place with a nice layout, but I think the winters there would kill me....maybe even more than the rain in WA, but that's debatable!

I got back early Saturday morning, and that afternoon we picked organic blueberries in Arlington. We got there a little late, so we didn't get to pick as many as we would have liked to. It was a small, family-owned farm with 13 varieties of blueberries. We enjoyed tasting different ones as we picked! After such stressful weeks in Michigan, it was really relaxing to be outside peacefully picking blueberries with the sound of the neighbor's horses galloping back and forth in the field.

Sunday, we went hiking with my brother to Sauk Mountain. I'll post pictures from that later. For now, I've got a lot to prepare for teaching in a few hours. I've got a week and a half of classes to teach and then I'll have about a 5 week break from work. I have no homework of my own for about a month, which is great. I'm praying about what to teach in the fall. I think that I won't be able to teach both the adult (immigrant) ESL and the academic (international students) ESL because it's just really too much for me to do along with my masters. I like both though and don't want to give one up.

I'll get back to lesson planning and post more when I can.

What's Happening Lately

Ryan's dream of getting his private pilot's license is in the process of coming true this summer. He was able to take a lighter load in his schoolwork and therefore has more time right now to pursue some personal interests. The frugal woman that I am doesn't like that his dream costs so much though!

He has been a great help to me this summer as my load has gotten a lot heavier at work with teaching both adult (immigrant) ESL and also academic (international student) ESL. Ryan has picked up a lot more of the cleaning and cooking, which I appreciate so much!

A few weeks ago, we (Ryan, my brother Tommy, and I) went to the lake while I graded papers. I wanted to at least be outside! It stinks that I'm having probably the busiest quarter I've had in 4 years during the summer time. In WA, that's the time to get out of the house since the rest of the year you're couped up so much because of cold and rain. We haven't had time to do a lot of what we enjoy this season. We took a short time to canoe around the lake (after a change of plans to not kayak after seeing the kayaks).

My mom just had a lumptectomy and I feel bad that I didn't have much time with her before I flew here to Michigan on a red-eye Saturday night. Now I'm here for two weeks of intensive classes for my masters. When I come home, I'll have about two more crazy weeks of work (final exams), my high school reunion, Tommy's birthday, some hikes that are only open this time of year, and then we're off to Bali, Indonesia for just over 3 weeks! Fun....yet I haven't had much time to plan, so I don't know what we'll be doing or where we'll stay yet. It'll be an adventure, just hopefully not too stressful due to lack of planning time.

I should try to sleep now as it's midnight in Michigan. Last night I couldn't fall asleep until 2 since it only felt like 11pm. Then the trash guy came at 5:30 am and the lawn mowing began at 6!! That'll happen again next Monday too. :/ Anywho....that's the update and where I've been since I've been out of blogging land lately.

California Friends

Last Thursday, our friends Ovi & Monica drove up from California along with their one-year-old, Sebi. We ha4 about 4 and 1/2 days filled with traveling around this part of the Pacific NW. Here are a few pics from the 4th of July. A short video below shows more of our time and explains where we went. Now they're back in sunny So Cal. Luckily, we still have sunshine here too.

Busy

Sares Head Viewpoint

I haven't blogged lately due to lack of free time. Last Monday, June 23, was the start of Summer quarter. I was called that day by the Academic ESL department at the college to see if I could pick up a class last minute--as in start teaching the next day. Though I was looking forward to having time this summer to get more of my homework done before heading to my super intensive classes in Michigan in a couple of weeks, this teaching request is a good opportunity professionally as well as financially. It will make finding a job in Seattle a little easier the wider the kinds of ESL experience that I've had.

So now I am still teaching adult ESL two classes a week, and I am also teaching Academic ESL (mostly Asian international students trying to get their English ready for regular college classes) 4 days a week. If you don't teach at the college level, it may not sound like a lot. But, I am close to teaching what's considered full-time as there is a lot of out of class preparation also.

So far, I'm enjoying the class and students, but I feel very stressed also. I am not getting much homework done and don't have much time for other things like exercise or going for long hikes. I am in the process of getting ready for guests, which I'm looking forward to very much. That also means trying to find subs and doing extra planning and coordinating with that sub. There are more details of how this job is taking more time, but I'll spare you that part.

This past weekend, we did get out for a little while to watch my brother Tommy in the Lake Padden Triatholon. On Friday afternoon, we took a short hike at Sares Head off Rosario Rd. in/near Anacortes.

We were surprised to see Rainier from there (barely seen in the right picture)! It was such a clear day. For those from out of state, Mt. Rainier is the highest mountain in WA. It doesn't look very big from this picture, but it's massive when you drive the 3 and 1/2 hours from here to get to it!

Here is a 200 degree (or more...I'm just guessing!) view from Sares Head.

After our hike, we went to Snowgoose produce for their massive and well-priced ice-cream cones. Tommy met us there as he was out bike-riding. I had to carry him across the gravel since he only had his cycling shoes with him and I guess you don't want to walk on those-especially on gravel--or they'll get messed up.

This is the view of Mt. Baker that we had from our table while we had our ice creams.