I think fall might be finally coming to Arizona. We had a high today that was below 100 degrees!! Break out the sweaters and boots!!! Well, maybe not yet, but hopefully soon. I so want another Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, but when it is 100 degrees a cold Dr. Pepper sounds better. I guess I just need some patience. haha

A lot of blogs that I have been reading have been talking about fall in their state. I always like fall in the Midwest. The leaves and cool crisp air were always a welcome relief after a hot, humid summer. I used to buy mums and place them on our front porch. I don't see a lot of mums in Arizona, so when I saw a few in the grocery store last weekend I got really excited. I think it will need to get a littler cooler before I even think about getting some though.

My present from my brother arrived on Monday. It was a KU purse patterned off Vera Bradley. I have enjoyed using it the last couple of days. I don't think people in Arizona get the whole Jayhawk thing, but that is okay. It is a fun purse that I will enjoy using.

I'm starting to meet with a student at lunch on Wednesdays. She is very shy and doesn't have a lot of friends. Her regular classroom teacher was concerned about her, so I volunteered to spend a little bit of time with her. Today was our first day and I think she enjoyed it. I enjoyed it.

I guess it is time for bed. Hope everyone has a terrific Thursday!

C.

I guess turning 39 is not too bad if you make a whole birthday last three days. A few members of my family went on a retreat this weekend with church, so we were unable to celebrate all together until tonight. My mom had us over for dinner and cake. I asked for red velvet this year instead of my usual chocolate. It was very yummy. And I got to take some home with us! My brother's present has not been delivered yet, so tomorrow night we are going over to his house for me to unwrap it. My parents even want to come over. I can't imagine what it is that everyone would be so interested in seeing me unwrap it. Oh well, it should be fun. Yesterday my mom and I did a marathon of shopping. It was a lot of fun. I found a couple of cute shirts and the all important denim skirt that I have been hunting for. It has a flair at the bottom that I think will look really cute with boots. On Friday night, my mom and brother went with me to the As You Wish pottery studio and made a couple of pieces. They should be ready to pick up tomorrow. I'm very anxious to see how they came out. This was my first attempt at making something, so I'm hoping it doesn't look like a ten year old did it!

No shopping trip would be complete without a visit to Hobby Lobby. I love decorating for fall and they have so many cute things. I'm glad that most of my decorations can stay up through November.

I also registered for the Susan B. Koman Race for the Cure this weekend. The race if Sunday, October 11th. I'm hoping for cooler temperatures.

I have tomorrow off for fall recess. Looking forward to sleeping in!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

C.

Well the week is underway. We had a great weekend but I was wondering at about 6 this morning where it had gone. I guess it would help if I went to bed earlier! Saturday evening was spent at the Thunderbird International School of Management's cultural night. We had been invited by one of the students who is attending classes there. He is from China and is working towards his masters in business. We experienced wonderful music and great food. We are looking forward to getting to know Jimmy better over the next few months.

On the way to get my haircut on Saturday I stopped at Starbucks and had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte. I had it made with soy and it was so good. I will definitely be having more of these!! You really don't experience autumn in the desert like you do in Kansas or Oklahoma. We just get excited that the temperature is below 100 degrees!!

Sunday was spent cleaning and going to church. The icing on our weekend was finally having Cardinal's win. I was starting to worry about them, but they pulled out a win on the dreaded "east coast."

Tomorrow I have a meeting with my advisor from NAU. I'm looking forward to finalizing my classes. I know that two years will be here before I know it. I'm just glad to get it started.

I guess I better close for today. Dancing with Stars is coming on at 8!
C.

Well, it is 8:30 on Sunday night. We have had a nice weekend. I had lunch yesterday with Vikke and Lola. We decided to meet at Mimi's. It was so good. I had the crispy chicken salad with a blueberry muffin. Yummy! Afterwards, I came home and pretty much did nothing until it was time to go to my parents for dinner. I guess you could say motivation was not in my vocabulary. My parents grilled hamburgers and had peach glazed pie for dessert. Very Yummy!

I promised myself that I would get more accomplished today. We decided to go to Sunday night church, so this morning I did some much needed cleaning around home. I also made a trip to Target. I stopped at the new Paradise Bakery and picked me up a drink. I am so excited that they are right down the street from us. I even bought one of their cups, so I better like it a lot. The peach tea is very good. We left home around 3 and stopped at Home Depot and then to Chiptole. We had never been to Sunday night church. I was really surprised at how many other people were there. It was definitely more contemporary.

I guess it is time to get off the computer. Hope everyone has a great week!

I have made it to the half way point of the week!! I love short weeks. The weekend is just around the corner.

I have accomplished a lot considering the short week. Last night I finished my reading training.
Now all I have to do is pay for my hour and I will be able to get college credit!!! Hopefully this will be all I will need to finish up my reading specialist endorsement. I am planning on adding even more to my license this year. Today, I was in a multi- sensory grammar workshop. It was beneficial for half the day. I'm not sure about the second half though. Oh well, I did get a lot of great supplies. I also received notification today from Northern Arizona that I have been accepted, so I will be starting my ESL endorsement in January.

Before coming home this afternoon, I decided to stop by DSW. This can be dangerous. I love shoes. I really love cheap shoes!! They have so many to choose from. Of course, I found a cute pair. With my b-day certificates, they ended up costing me only $5.00!!

A friend of mine and I are trying to get a team together for Susan B. Koman race for the cure that will be in Phoenix on Oct. 11th. We will be walking for a mile. I have never done anything like this before, so it will be interesting.

I guess this is all for my mid-week update.
C.

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We are enjoying cooler temperatures with a little rain, so we are not complaining.

Yesterday my mom and I did a little shopping. It was actually 5 1/2 hours of shopping!! We wanted to take advantage of some of those summer sales. My most exciting purchase would probably be my $4.99 pair of shoes that had been marked originally $50.00!! You can beat that! They are kind of a high heel, but I think they will be a lot of fun to wear that is if I don't break my ankles!! I also had my mom try some Mojo frozen yogurt. I love that place. My favorite is chocolate ( and I mean chocolate) with fresh strawberries. It is especially good for those of us who are lactose intolerant.

My first week of my Wilson reading class went very well. Basically it is similar to other reading programs I have done in the past, so it has been a little of a review. I will, however, get to count it has one hour of college credit, so that is very nice. In talking with other teachers and with the state of the overall education climate in Arizona, I also decided that this should be the year that I work towards my ESL endorsement and then on to my masters in Bilingual Education. I took the huge step of applying (huge for me) to Northern Arizona's graduate school. I then sent of for my transcripts from WSU and OSU. So now I wait. I am planning on starting my ESL classes in January. I also believe that after I finish my Wilson class, I will have enough hours for my reading specialist endorsement! This really made me happy. Probably sometime next week I will head down to the department of education to get that on my teaching certificate. Oh how I dread going down there!!

We have found (totally by accident) a wonderful place to hike. It is the McDowell SonoranPreserve Trail. I am hoping that the cooler temperatures will continue through Monday, so we can enjoy the hike. Arizona offers a variety of venues so that everyone can enjoy it's scenery. I have been thinking about getting a camelbak to hold my water. Water bottles are okay, but that just don't keep the water cold enough.

I guess I have rambled on enough. Hope everyone has a nice weekend and a great week!

C.