Birthday Fun
Well, we both are a year older now, as our birthday have come and gone. My birthday was on a Sunday this year and Jarom and Mike took me to lunch at Marie Callender's. Originally, we were just going to get a pie for my birthday dessert, but decided to stay for lunch and had a nice time. We brought home their delicious Lemon Cream Cheese pie.
The following weekend, on the 5th, I had my CBEST exam. It was at 8am at Sacramento State University. After getting signed in, we finally started the four hour long exam at 8:45. Unofficial scores will post online after 5pm on the 21st, so I have a few more days, and even then, based on the wording, it will only be my math and writing scores. The official scores will be mailed out on the 24th.
I feel okay about it. If I have to redo anything it will be the writing part. By the time I got to it, I had an hour to write two essays. All I know going into it is that one will be an issue essay where I have to take a stand and the other will be an experience essay. I feel okay about the reading & comprehension section and really good about the math section. As I was doing it, I felt the practice exams I did had harder math and reading questions than the actual exam, so time will tell and we'll see how it goes.
Once I pass, I know someone at church that works for the Elk Grove School District as a vice principal is going to get me in touch with HR and I will apply for a substitute job. I want to substitute for a few years and get experience on my side in the classroom. From what I hear, you can work as much or as little as you want as a substitute. I want to work pretty much full time but I want to be able to take off to go home too, ans subbing will allow me to do that and work with any schedule.
When I got home from my exam, Aunt Teresa and Coley arrived just after me and we had some lunch before finish up the food prep for our birthday party that evening. The clam chowder, fruit salsa and cinnamon chip needed to be made, angel food cakes frosted/glazed, and get the rest of the food on the platters. We had clam chowder, cheese and crackers, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips that are baked, not fried. I had chicken marinating and we cooked that up and cut it into strips for Tandoori Chicken Sticks, marinated two kinds of Moroccan olives, and I cut vegetables the night before for a vegetable platter. We also had bruschetta. For desserts, we had an ice cream cake from Baskin & Robbins for Jarom. Leanne wanted an angel food cake, one of which we frosted with lemon frosting and one we glazed with a lemon glaze. I really wanted and had planned to make a croquembouche, but when it came down to it I just didn't have the time to do it. I'm still going to make it, but probably next week.
We celebrated three birthdays that night-mine on the 30th, Leanne's on the 4th and Jarom's on the 8th, since we are all so close. It was a really great time. Some of the guys played pool before the UFC fight started that we bought on PPV and had on upstairs. The kids and all us women, stayed downstairs and we danced with Just Dance 2 and visited. The kids also played with the pool balls when nobody was playing pool and I brought out some of my Barbies for them to play with, they also danced and did a little art project I had on hand since I didn't make it to get something specific. It was a great night and we really had fun!
The following Tuesday was Jarom's birthday, and I thought we'd go to dinner at the Outback but he came home and slept, so we didn't do anything. But, we did order him a couple books he wanted that should be there by the time we get home.
We left Wednesday, and came to Prineville for an extended President's Day weekend. The drive was okay, kind of long. We hit some snow, but for the most part the roads were clear. It got a little slick from Klamath Falls to about Chemult, but other than that it was clear. Another snow storm is blowing in over the weekend and then it should be clear when we drive home Monday just before the next storm comes to town. We went to lunch yesterday and I had a mini shopping spree at Bi-Mart. Today, I had another mini shopping spree at Bi-Mart. I got some yarn that I've been looking for and it was 2/$5 and I couldn't beat that price. I picked up a couple little gifts for Madysen and Trenton. I think we are going to dinner tonight. While we were out, I picked up some "boutique" beers from Wallace from a couple Oregon breweries and a bottle of Shiraz from Leanne from one of our Wineries. They are caring for Gus & Miss while we are gone and it is just our little thank you.
The following weekend, on the 5th, I had my CBEST exam. It was at 8am at Sacramento State University. After getting signed in, we finally started the four hour long exam at 8:45. Unofficial scores will post online after 5pm on the 21st, so I have a few more days, and even then, based on the wording, it will only be my math and writing scores. The official scores will be mailed out on the 24th.
I feel okay about it. If I have to redo anything it will be the writing part. By the time I got to it, I had an hour to write two essays. All I know going into it is that one will be an issue essay where I have to take a stand and the other will be an experience essay. I feel okay about the reading & comprehension section and really good about the math section. As I was doing it, I felt the practice exams I did had harder math and reading questions than the actual exam, so time will tell and we'll see how it goes.
Once I pass, I know someone at church that works for the Elk Grove School District as a vice principal is going to get me in touch with HR and I will apply for a substitute job. I want to substitute for a few years and get experience on my side in the classroom. From what I hear, you can work as much or as little as you want as a substitute. I want to work pretty much full time but I want to be able to take off to go home too, ans subbing will allow me to do that and work with any schedule.
When I got home from my exam, Aunt Teresa and Coley arrived just after me and we had some lunch before finish up the food prep for our birthday party that evening. The clam chowder, fruit salsa and cinnamon chip needed to be made, angel food cakes frosted/glazed, and get the rest of the food on the platters. We had clam chowder, cheese and crackers, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips that are baked, not fried. I had chicken marinating and we cooked that up and cut it into strips for Tandoori Chicken Sticks, marinated two kinds of Moroccan olives, and I cut vegetables the night before for a vegetable platter. We also had bruschetta. For desserts, we had an ice cream cake from Baskin & Robbins for Jarom. Leanne wanted an angel food cake, one of which we frosted with lemon frosting and one we glazed with a lemon glaze. I really wanted and had planned to make a croquembouche, but when it came down to it I just didn't have the time to do it. I'm still going to make it, but probably next week.
We celebrated three birthdays that night-mine on the 30th, Leanne's on the 4th and Jarom's on the 8th, since we are all so close. It was a really great time. Some of the guys played pool before the UFC fight started that we bought on PPV and had on upstairs. The kids and all us women, stayed downstairs and we danced with Just Dance 2 and visited. The kids also played with the pool balls when nobody was playing pool and I brought out some of my Barbies for them to play with, they also danced and did a little art project I had on hand since I didn't make it to get something specific. It was a great night and we really had fun!
The following Tuesday was Jarom's birthday, and I thought we'd go to dinner at the Outback but he came home and slept, so we didn't do anything. But, we did order him a couple books he wanted that should be there by the time we get home.
We left Wednesday, and came to Prineville for an extended President's Day weekend. The drive was okay, kind of long. We hit some snow, but for the most part the roads were clear. It got a little slick from Klamath Falls to about Chemult, but other than that it was clear. Another snow storm is blowing in over the weekend and then it should be clear when we drive home Monday just before the next storm comes to town. We went to lunch yesterday and I had a mini shopping spree at Bi-Mart. Today, I had another mini shopping spree at Bi-Mart. I got some yarn that I've been looking for and it was 2/$5 and I couldn't beat that price. I picked up a couple little gifts for Madysen and Trenton. I think we are going to dinner tonight. While we were out, I picked up some "boutique" beers from Wallace from a couple Oregon breweries and a bottle of Shiraz from Leanne from one of our Wineries. They are caring for Gus & Miss while we are gone and it is just our little thank you.
