Running for Sport

Back in September, I joined a running group to train for a half marathon. So far, I have upped my milage to 8.5 miles! I can't believe I can go that far! There are a few reasons I love running. First of all, the "runner's high" is an amazing feeling! I also love to run for a cause. Just this morning, I ran in the Silver Strand 5K. I finished in just over 30 minutes!! Thanksgiving morning, I'll be running a 4 miler in Santa Barbara. I know it will be worth it when I spend the rest of the day eating and watching football! I have 10 weeks of training left until my big race. I found a quote that I like to inspire me as the runs get more difficult: "Pain is weakness leaving the body." I must be pretty weak, because I have a lot of weakness leaving my body every long run!
I found a World Run Day. This organization wants to have the UN designate the second Sunday of every November as World Run Day. I think I'll take my part in this and maybe try to organize a run next year! Does that sound crazy? We'll see how it goes...

My Current Favorite

This picture is currently my favorite of our wedding pictures. Of course, every time I look at our pictures, a new one is my favorite. I love this one because I remember how magical it was to run down a corridor of light provided by our most loved ones! What a perfect day!

A Moment to Breathe...but not too deeply

So, you probably thought you wouldn't hear from the Lopez family until the next major school vacation. I thought so too. Life has been incredibly busy for us down here in San Diego. Between work and school, I have hardly had time to sit in front of my computer without doing some sort of research! (If you want to know about Aroma-chology or the Development of the Adolescent Brain, I can forward you the research!) As much as I love studying, I am glad to have a little break.

Well, the reason for my school break is not a good one. San Diego County is on fire. 300,000 people have been evacuated within the past day and a half. The Governator is here. The Prez is reportedly coming out soon. We are having a San Diego snow day. Ash is everywhere. Both Ryan and I have had work cancelled. Neither of us know when we will go back. The sooner, the better. In the midst of all this tragedy, our community proves to be amazing. So many people are coming together to volunteer. Gourmet buffets and massage therapists are abundant at Qualcomm, where over 7,500 evacuees are staying. Even evacuees are helping out at the shelters! San Diego truly is America's Finest City, even when it's burning.

The Joy of Changing Your Name

Getting married is such a beautiful event. Love, union, joy, two lives bound together for eternity. Then comes the legal stuff. Of course, only the wife has to do this pain-in-the-rear paperwork. I've been working on changing my name for the past 3 months. Slowly but surely it is getting done. Tonight, I hit a new potential snag. I have already changed my name with my oral surgeon, but my insurance paperwork has not yet processed. In two weeks, when I go in for surgery, I have FOUR prescriptions that Mrs. Lopez needs filled. Unfortunately, Miss Johnson is the name on the insurance! Cross your fingers for me and pray that my insurance papers get expedited by some act of God!

Ryan's Critters

My husband has an interesting hobby. He loves to take pictures of spiders. Some of them are very good! I am thankful, though, for our digital camera. I can't even imagine how much these pictures would cost us in film! If only we had two digital cameras, I'd take a picture of Ryan on his picture-taking expeditions. They can be pretty extreme! Here are some samples of his photography:
A close-up:
The web:

Thunderbolts and Lightning

It's a big day in the Lopez house. Chargers’ opening day! Our morning started off early, around 6:10, when God woke us up with a little earthquake! I know He must be as excited as we are and just couldn't sleep in today! It's funny that Monday through Friday, it's a big chore to drag ourselves out of bed, but this morning, there was no need for a snooze button! Ryan's first words this morning came out as a "WHOO HOO! GO CHARGERS!!" I immediately went to the closet to put on my jersey. Ryan, on the other hand, is a little superstitious. He knows his "last season" jersey is bad luck. I know we're off to a great season! Can't wait for 1:15!! Sorry Bears fans. Today is not your day! GO BOLTS!!

The Fun part of teaching!

Now that the government mandates what we teach, how long we spend teaching each subject, almost down to a script, the fun stuff we learned when credentialing seems to be just a myth. I found a loop hole, though. (Are you surprised?) There are 4 days for which we get paid before the year begins. These days are for meetings, staff development, grade level planning, and prep. Well, I have used that prep time to have FUN in my classroom! Look at my cute bulletin board! Now if only the next 10 months could be this fun!