Welcome Home!

Here are a few photos of my new home. I am slowly but surely feeling more and more cozy as I settle in, and my brain is going a million miles a minute with ideas for new furniture and home decor. I'm so excited. Feel free to stop by!

By the way. . . Anybody want this set? $300 for all 3 pieces. OBO.

As you enter, this is what you see.

Here's a closer look at the dining are and the view in relation to the rest of the room.


Here's the view from the other end of the room.

The kitchen.

You can see my bedroom from the kitchen and the living room. Here's a peek into my bedroom from the kitchen.

My bedroom. . . and my unmade bed. Oops.

The bathroom.

And finally, the view of my closet/laundry room as I stand at the bathroom door.

The Legacy of Mary Kay Letourneau Lives On

Ok, maybe it's an extreme title, but I didn't know what else to call it. I teach first grade, and at that age they're still very naive and loving. One of my boy students came up to me today, closed his eyes, puckered up, and tried to give me a kiss. I tried dodging it by turning my head and giving him a cheek. He said, "Wait." He tried again, and I leaned back and gave him the other cheek. He said, "But Miss Picardal, I want to give you a kiss on the lips." Bless his heart, right? I said, "You know, I can't give you a kiss because it's not appropriate for teachers to give their students kisses. However, I can give one heck of a hug!"

Boy, did that devastate him! Not only that, but it sure did open a huge can of worms! This child is autistic and he is very rules-oriented. He wants to know why rules are the way they are, and if he does not agree with the rule, he will melt down and let you know how awful that rule is. So, he replied to my comment with "Why?" I answered him with, "Because kissing is something that you do at home and not at school, especially with teachers because the teachers and the students will get in big trouble. I wouldn't be a teacher anymore." He, again, followed up with another "Why?" This discussion went on and on, and he continued to ask "Why?" I finally just answered, "Because it's the law."

He walked away in tears and didn't even want to give me a hug.

While I was out

In the midst of my stressful move, I thought to myself, "There's no way I can go to work and get all this done by the end of the week." With that in mind, I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off to do some really hard work and then take it easy throughout the remainder of the week until Saturday morning.

Well, today was my first day back. The first thing I did in the morning was look around the room, and it was in great condition. No damage was done and the fish were still alive, so that was a good sign. I walked over to my desk and noticed the notes from my substitute teacher. She noted that the two days went smoothly and that she had lots of fun in my classroom. And then she proceeds to mention one exception: Two girls wrestled each other! She named the two girls who were involved and I couldn't believe it! Actually, one of the girls (Girl A) I can believe, but the other one (Girl B), there was no way. Girl A must have really pushed some buttons. I suppose I'm glad that I wasn't there.

Then it got me thinking. If she were to have mentioned 2 boys wrestling, I would have thought nothing of it. Hearing that it was 2 girls, I was shocked. Maybe I need to tighten up on "using words." My classroom is slowly turning into a zoo!

Movin' On Up!

At long last, I am packing and moving! Since 2006, I've been looking forward to moving into my new condo. When I first invested, they expected that I'd be able to move in by July of '08. Then they said August, then September, and then they said mid-October. Well, mid-October is now here and it's time to go!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been really overwhelmed with the homebuying process. I finally hit the tail end of the grueling process and signed all the final paperwork on Friday. I get to pick up my keys tomorrow! Movers come on Saturday to help move all the big stuff and that will be it. It has been a huge learning experience for me. The paperwork, the money, all the different parties involved--title company, real estate, lenders, banking, and my mother--have all taught me a lot about the process and all the work and communication that goes into it. It's all I've been able to think about for the last month or two, and now that I've only got a couple of days to go, I can't believe the time is finally here! Good thing I took a couple of days off to finish packing.

I really am so excited to move into a new home that I will actually own now. However, my time renting on Roy Street has been so much fun. I would have to say that the greatest time of my life has been the last 3 years that I have lived in this apartment. I love my location, my view, my apartment, and all that it has to offer. I think my friends and family would agree that Roy Street was quite the headquarters for a good time.

Well, I suppose the headquarters is just relocating. Rest assured that life and times will only get better after next weekend. Good bye, Roy Street. Hello Veer Lofts!

My apartment is in CHAOS (Can't Have Anybody Over Syndrome)

Friday afternoon, I went downtown to sign for my new place. Mom Sonia came with me and took a picture. It was a quite a monumental moment!

Reunited and it Feels So Good!

Top: Sherwin, Jason, Norea, Ervin, and Paul
Bottom: Lorial, LJ, and Maricel (my roommate in the Philippines)
I'm randomly in between top and bottom

Back in 2003 at the University of Washington, I went to class one morning and my Filipino professor (Dr. Bonus, who is totally awesome) began class with an announcement. He announced that there was a new study abroad program offered to students throughout the USA, that would run throughout the summer at the University of the Philippines. My ears immediately perked up, and I was instantly interested. So, that summer, I packed up and went to the Philippines to study along with 31 other college student from everywhere in the US. We were the guinea pigs of this new program, so we all kind of struggled together, and had so much fun doing it.

My time in the Philippines that summer was one of the most enriching experiences of my entire life. I learned a lot about my own heritage, and most importantly, I met some really great people who will be my friends for the rest of my life. We were all part of something so great, and this group of people mean a great deal to me. Though I was not super close to all of them, we all had a lot of respect for each other, and when we were all together, it was such a good time. You would think that 31 college-aged young adults with very different personalities would create drama, but we had nothing but a good time together. I kept in touch closely with some, who also kept in touch with others, who kept in touch with others, so we're all still connected somehow.

Last weekend, some friends from the program flew in to Seattle from New Jersey, New York, Chicago, LA, Santa Cruz, and Alaska for a mini-reunion and it was so great to see them all. We truly picked up where we left off, even after 5 years. It was nice to see that everyone is doing wonderful things in their lives. The weekend came and went all too quickly. I can't wait to see them all again.

I've been tagged. . . (by Mar)

Ten years ago I . . .

1. I was a sophomore in high school.
   
2. was Sophomore Class President
   
3. was on the cheer squad
   
4. had my driver's permit
   
5. lived with my parents and my bedroom was just across the hallway from theirs.
   

5 things on today’s to-do list . . .

1. Pack up my apartment
   
2. Prepare lessons for class tomorrow
   
3. Send loan papers to Countrywide
   
4. Call Honda
   
5. Finish newsletter for class
   

5 snacks I enjoy . . .

1. Pirate's Booty
   
2. Nectarines
3. Sugar Snap Peas
   
4. Chips and Salsa
   
5. White Cheddar Cheez-Its
   

5 things I would do if I were a millionnaire . . .

1. Buy a house on the top of Queen Anne overlooking Seattle
   
2. Travel the world
   
3. Open up my own school
   
4. Hire a chef
   
5. Share it with my family.
   

5 places I have lived . . .

1. Lakewood, WA
   
2. University of Washington
   
3. Quezon City, Philippines (for 2 months)
   
4. Queen Anne, Seattle
   
5. South Lake Union, Seattle (in about 2 weeks!)
   

5 jobs I have had . . .

1. baby sitter
   
2. back up singer
   
3. kindergarten teacher
   
4. first grade teacher
5. full-time daydreamer
   

I tag . . . Steph!

The End of an Era. . .

Sad news, ladies and gentlemen. My beloved active student who I've mentioned in my last few posts has transfered to another school. It was a decision made by her whole family, which will make their lives much easier since her new school is closer to home. Her final day with us was on Thursday, and that afternoon we had a good-bye party for her, complete with cupcakes, dancing, and a friendship circle in which all the children had to mention something that they'll miss about her. Things mentioned were, "I'll miss how she lets me cut her in line," "I'll miss playing games with her in math, " and "I don't know."

I wish the young lady well in her new school. . . and I will pray for her new teacher.

Now my classroom is down to 16 students, 2 of whom were absent on Friday. Man, was it a good Friday!