Lately...

A lot of things have been going on...

Mario has been working pretty much non-stop.  We have been involved with the church.  Family get-togethers have been plentiful.  I got a job. We have attended two graduations.  I have started a new style of eating.  AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

God has been so So SO faithful!  Mario has been able to do a bunch of different jobs for different people and is loving it.  He is not someone to sit still for too long so it has been nice for him to have specific places for him to put some his energy to good use.

We got to share at our church youth group beach retreat in May and that was pretty awesome. The theme was prayer and God gave us some cool stuff to share with the youth.  We also got to camp in a tent (it was Mario's first time) and be at the beach for a weekend so who can complain about that!?! We are also doing vacation Bible school this next week with our church.  We will be working with the jr. high group.  I am excited to get to know the jr. highers better and share on our identity in Christ with them. 

Setting up the tent

The first tent experience

We have also had a some fun family dinners at my Grandma Irene's house since we have been back.  It is great for our family (whoever is in town on any give Tuesday) to get together and eat.  We have been able to spend lots of time with my sister and brother-in-law since we are living with them.  We are so thankful that they offered up their guest room for us and it has definitely been a comfortable place for us as we have made the transition back to living in Bakersfield.  We are within 2 miles of the majority of our family!  It is great!!!

These two are best buddies and I captured a few pictures of them playing around in the back yard

Family Dinner

Telling jokes at family dinner

sisters!

 Shortly after we got settled in I started my application to teach for the next school year, but it was a slow process to finish and after some stress and my patience being tried, I finally got it turned in.  I got a call and had a job interview on Thursday May 30th.  After a night of sleeplessness, I went to the interview and found a very kind principal sitting across the table from me.  He asked me a few questions, we talked in Spanish a little bit (just for fun) and he said I would get a call by the end of the next week.   The very next day I got a call from the district office and they were offering me a second grade teaching position at Williams Elementary School.  I was super excited and thankful!  Williams feels like it is going to be the perfect fit for me!  Here  is the
Student Enrollment by Group (School Year 2011-12):

• Black or African American- 7.8%
• White-2%
• American Indian or Alaska Native-1.6%
• Two or More Races-1.2%
• Asian-0.8%
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged-96.7%
• Filipino-0.2%
• English Learners-61.3%
• Hispanic or Latino-86.1%
• Students with Disabilities-5.3%
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-0.2%

I can't wait until August 19th when I get to see the little beautiful faces of my class!!

We got to go to two graduations in May.  One was for Nathan, my nephew, who graduated from Kindergarten.  It was definitely a cute program and we are so proud of Nate!  My oldest brother Ricky also graduated from high school.  He was a few years late, but we are proud of his accomplishment nonetheless.  

With the Kindergarten graduate!

 
Last but not least on the update list is my eating habits.  This is something that I thought I would never write about, but... I am officially gluten (and mostly dairy) free.  Uggh!  Again, if you know me you probably know I love bread.  White, french, biscuits, rolls... you name it and I would eat it.  When we moved back to Bakersfield, though, I finally faced the fact that my stomach had not been normal for quite a long time.  Since we moved in my sister and she is also gluten and dairy free, I started asking her questions.  Well, a three week cleansing diet and some upset intestines have led me to the conclusion that indeed, my body is not a fan of gluten (boo!, hiss!).  The good news is that there are SO many options out there.  If there were ever a time to be gluten free, which trust me there is not, it would be now.  A side benefit to this new lifestyle of eating is that it eliminates a lot of the processed junk food that I used to eat and so I am actually eating healthier by default.  It has been a nice change, but I am not sure that I will ever stop dreaming of the day that bread and I can be reunited.