Angel Game

My dad has season tickets to the Angels, and occasionally has extras. We went to the game last night where the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins. Coincidentally, my boss also has season tickets. We had a nice chat with him and on the way back to our seats, we ran into another of my coworkers! She was there on a field trip and had extra hats for us! Don't we look like official fans?
The seats had a great view of the field.
Dad and Carol enjoying the game.

Kids!

Remember the boy in my class who sneezed on his test? Well, we have been studying parts of the body. We were reviewing the parts of the digestive system, and I called on this boy to tell me where food goes after it leaves the stomach. He thinks for a while and manages to get out "test...". Silly me, I encourage him thinking he's trying to say intestines. Nope. "TESTICLES!" he cries out with pride. Luckily, only one other boy knew what those were, and we were able to move on without discussing the reproductive system. I am so ready for a vacation.

Reward #2

Just as I thought one reward was enough, I came home to find my new Little House on the Prairie Season 3 DVD's had arrived. Just in time too, we're almost done with season 2. The extra bonus we got is the two hour special, Journey in the Spring. It's the one where Laura blames her grandpa for her horse's injury, and she has to swallow her pride and travel to appologize to him.

I'm sure Erin is as excited as I am about these shows, she just does a better job hiding the fact. I have no problem sharing the moral lessons learned with friends. In fact, I've decided that we won't have television in our house, our children are growing up on Little House.

Rewards

Here's an interesting note on rewards. When people are greatfull for something they'll typically reward you for it, be it a simple "thank you" or an extravagant trip to the Bahamas. In a little comparison, this week both Erin and I were rewarded with Starbucks gift cards. A welcome treat since we excluded them from our budget two years ago. Erin received her's as a teacher appreciation week gift. But since the budget is tight not everyone gets one, nope. There was a drawing, and she won hers in the second chance drawing. I received mine because I returned someones keys that they forgot. A little ten minute drive out of my way; it wasn't so bad. Erin's reward $5; Joshua's reward $10. It just goes to show you that people appreciate 10 minutes of pampered service over a years worth of training their children.

Disclaimer: I wouldn't seriously think of drawing that conclusion. Really.

We Belong in the Zoo!

Last weekend, Joshua's sister Pattie and her husband Jim were in San Diego. We decided to take the opportunity for another weekend getaway (I think we've been on an every other week schedule...). So onto Priceline we went and got a great room in Old Town (our favorite spot!) for a mere $45 a night! At that price, we took two nights. Friday night we drove down, settled in, and walked a block up the street to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Joshua had the greatest margarita he's ever had! Saturday, we got up bright and early and went for a walk. I guess everyone sleeps in around there, because it was quiet. After a couple cups of coffee, we headed to the San Diego Zoo. Joshua had never been. Here we are having a lovely lunch at the Treehouse Cafe. My favorite part of the zoo is the giant panda enclosure. We got to see the mama bear resting in the sun while the baby was snoozing way up in the branches!
After Joshua used the flash on the camera, this bear got angry! Just kidding ... it was actually a big old yawn.
 

Vacation in Simi Valley

A couple of weeks ago Erin and I decided that we hadn't gone anywhere fun in awhile. We just sat at home on the weekends studying and working on our projects. We wanted to go to Solvang at first but with last minute planning there were no rooms available. So we decided to go to Simi Valley and visit the Reagan Presidential Library. Reagan was the president for the majority of my youth, so when I think of what a president should be I usually compare it to him. The Library is on top of a hill in a beautiful valley that is quickly becoming cluttered with high-priced homes. Our highlight was walking through Reagan's personal Air Force One aircraft. They had it standing on stilts in a gigantic room also filled with his presidential helicopter, limousine, and motorcade.
For our hotel we used hotwire for the first time. I will never use them again. Their three star was way worse than a priceline 2 and a half star. The room had a strange musty smell and the bed wasn't very comfortable. Erin started tossing and turning at around 2am and started bugging me so that I would feel the misery also. I brought out my trusty Little House on the Praire DVD's and we watched an episode on my laptop. She was able to sleep soundly afterward.
 

Spelling Test

Today during our weekly spelling test, one of my students sneezed, then raised his hand. I thought he needed me to repeat the word. "Mrs. Hardwick, there is something all over my spelling test!" He was shocked and embarassed when I reminded him to cover his mouth the next time he sneezed.

Where's the stairs?

Erin and I treated ourselves to a wonderful weekend away (we'll blog about it later). We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Old Town, San Diego. If I didn't have a wife that got sick in elevators and other moving objects, I would have never noticed a trend in modern day construction: missing staircases. The only option you're given now is to take the elevator. Forget about better health or alternative options if the elevator is full or out of order. There were two fire escapes on either end of the building, neither of which led to the lobby of the hotel. The staircase on the south side sent you to the alleyway, and on the north side you ended up in the kitchen or the outdoor employee smoking area. However, I can't complain too much about our stay for only $45 per night at a regularly $200 room; I was quite pleased with our accomodations being within walking distance of my favorite part of San Diego.

Easter

This year we had Easter services outdoors at the OC fairgrounds. I got to be a part of the opening dance. We had five drummers playing the rhythm for us. It was awesome!
Joshua was a part of the drama. It was a creative version of the prodigal son. Joshua moved scenery and interacted with the prodigal daughter as a drug dealer.
Joshua's parents came out for a visit during Easter week. After service, we went to my aunt's house for a family gathering. Here I am with my sister and my two moms enjoying an appetizer!