Holiday Blessings

It has been awhile since I have written, so I wanted to update everyone on how things are going here. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. We enjoyed a nice, quiet Thanksgiving just the two of us. We made all of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (and then ate them for a week afterwards!). After we ate we got to spend some relaxing time together and put up Christmas decorations. Although I missed being with family on Thanksgiving for the second year in a row, it was nice to just take a break from school and work and spend time together. December was a blur. I had bronchitis which wasn't pleasant. Things at school were crazy. By the time Christmas arrived I was exhausted. Although I was tired and ready for a break, the last day of school was very special. For my students (many of whom don't have a lot of things) I bought several new games and toys for the classroom. I put the presents under the tree in our classroom, and I picked several students to open them while everyone watched. They were so cute! There were so appreciative and understood that they had to share the presents and they were to use at school. They were already asking when they would be coming back to school to use them! Giving is my favorite part of Christmas:) Santi's parents arrived on the 16th. It has been nice to have them here. Santi's dad has been working like crazy doing things around our house. So far he has put knobs on the kitchen cabinets, lights under the kitchen cabinets, painted the guest bathroom, put shelving in our garage, and a new shower head in the master bathroom. Plus he has fixed a few things here and there that we didn't do such a good job with:) Our Christmas was nice and quiet. We went to church on Christmas eve (they had a beautiful service), went to zoolights which is a new tradition for us, then came home to a delicious meal that Santi's parents made. On Christmas day we went to see Marley and Me and of course I cried my eyes out. I love the book, and the movie didn't quite do it justice, but it was good none the less. Both of our parents were very genrous to give us money for our backyard for Christmas, so that project is lined up to be completed in the next couple of weeks. It is going to be a lot of work, but it will be so nice to have a backyard we can actually use and enjoy. We are very grateful for this gift, and the labor that Santi's dad is going to put into it! They are going to be here until the end of January, and we are enjoying spending time with them. Next week I have to go into school and get ready for the 3rd quarter. On Friday we are going to Las Vegas with Santi's mom and dad which was our Christmas present to them. This will be my first Vegas trip so I am looking forward to it. We also plan to stop by the Hoover Dam which I have heard is amazing.
As 2008 comes to an end, I feel so blessed. We have had some ups and downs this year as everyone does, but God has truly provided for us. In 2008 we moved into our first house, I started graduate school, and Santi continues to be successful at work. I love my job, even though at times it can be very stressful. Our families are doing well, we are both in good health. We have a lot to look forward to and be excited about in 2009. We are BLESSED! I feel espcecially blessed this year because I have seen those close to me go through very difficult times. Our neighbors I grew up with lost one of their children to a heart attack at age 23. He died at their home just 4 days before Christmas. Every day for the past couple of weeks there has been a homeless person sitting up by the cross streets just outside our neighborhood. I can never see the person because they have made a make-shift shelter out of plastic bags and cardboard that always covers them. There is a black dog that sits with that person all day. Despite how sad this is, I think it has shown the good in others. Every day I see people bringing food to the person and the dog, and yesterday someone had brought a huge bag of dog food. There are still pleanty of good people in this world. Despite all that is going on in the world around us, we have much to be thankful for.

Ecuador Vs. Mexico

This week we got to see the Ecuadorian national team play the Mexican national team here in Phoenix. Although we were definitely outnumbered, we enjoyed cheering Ecuador on! Santi was so thrilled to see them live, and I thought it was really cool too. The game was televised on Telemundo and Santi recorded it on the DVR. I haven't watched it yet, but he claims that he saw us in the sea of green and red waving the Ecuadorian flag. There were around 26,000 people there, and I would say about 200 of them were Ecuador fans. We sat surrounded by Mexicans, but we did see one section where most of the Ecuadorians seemed to be concentrated. Ecuador scored the first goal of the game and I thought we might be able to send the Mexicans home crying, but unfortunately Mexico came back and scored two goals in the end of the game to win. Ecuador played a great game, but Mexico brought twice as many players and constantly had fresh legs on the field. Not to mention, Mexico definitely had the home team advantage!!! The Mexicans were rowdy as usual when they won, and we went home soaked in stinky beer that they had thrown over the upper balconies in celebration. Even though we lost, we had a great time. We sat really close and during half time Santi walked down as close as he could get to the field to take a picture of some of the players. He had his Ecuadorian flag with him and he saw Pepe Pancho (who also plays for Santi's all time favorite team Liga). He yelled Pepe Pancho's name and he turned around and waved at Santi. It was really neat. ApparentlyPepe Pancho's mom was friends with Santi's grandma...small world. Santi comes from a long line of soccer players....

Into November...

Wow fall is flying right by! It seems like October was a blur. We had so many things going on at school. Fall festival, math carnival, red ribbon week, Halloween...it was crazy. This weekend I was so thankful to be able to enjoy a four day weekend (yes we get those because we have no snow days). I really needed the rest. Santi worked most of it, but he did have Sunday off and we went to get our Christmas pictures taken with Tevez. He has gotten so big over the last year! We also had Jackie's dog Comiskey here all weekend. She went home to Illinois for a funeral. Tevez really enjoyed having a playmate. They are two peas in a pod. Comiskey is a little dog, but he sure can hold his own around Tevez, and when he can't he just hides under the bed.
November is moving right along. I have one full week next week and then it will be Thanksgiving week already! I will be happy to have the time off again, but sad that we can't spend Thanksgiving with family. This is the only time of year when it is hard being so far away. It isn't as big of a deal to Santi because he didn't grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, but I really miss grandma's noodles! I think we are going to get together with several friends who also have family out of state. Most of our friends out here are implants like us, and a lot of them are from the midwest as well. Hopefully we will have an enjoyable Thanksgiving with some yummy food. Last year it was just the two of us and we attempted to make some Thanksgiving foods...it was entertaining to say the least. We are also hoping to get up some Christmas decorations so they are ready when Santi's parents come on December 17th. This will be our first Christmas in the new house, so we are looking forward to decorating AND getting a real Christmas tree!
On a final note, we are super excited to have tickets to see Ecuador play Mexico here in Phoenix tomorrow night! Santi never imagined he would be able to see them play in the U.S. We even know what hotel the players are staying at, so we are going to try to track down some autographs:) I will post pictures later this week!

Ahhh....fall weather....

I have gotten a little behind on my blogging, but September was a very busy month! Grad school started, we went to Indiana for a weekend, and I was trying to wrap up the end of first quarter at school with parent/teacher conferences. I can say that we successfully made it through September and I am now enjoying my favorite time of year. Our short trip to Indiana was nice and Amanda's wedding was beautiful! It was so great to see everyone, even if it was only for a short time. I missed seeing my mom because she was in Florida for business. I am hoping she and dad make it out to Phoenix again soon. I am not sure when we will be able to go to Indiana again because we are saving up money and days off for a trip to Ecuador in June.
After all the craziness of September, fall break was a welcoming escape, and what a beautiful fall break I had! I spent the first part of my week frantically cleaning and getting all of my school work done (kindergarten and grad school) so that I could enjoy the second half of break when Santi had time off work. On Thursday morning we left Phoenix and drove up to Sedona with the dog for a little 2 day hiking excursion. We hiked in Oak Creek Canyon on Thursday and we could not have had more beautiful weather! It was a breezy 75 degrees and sunny. Up in Oak Creek Canyon the leaves were turning colors and the scenery was magnificent. We got the taste of fall we have been missing in the valley. Tevez had the time of his life playing in the creek and doing dog things. It was fun to watch him enjoying himself so much. After hiking we took an evening stroll around downtown Sedona...always beautiful, especially at sunset. After dinner we headed back to our room exhausted. We stayed in a little motel called Oak Creek Terrace. It was right on the creek and we had a cute little room with a fireplace. It was so nice to cuddle up to a movie in front of the fire and relax in the peace and quiet of Oak Creek Canyon. On Friday we slept in, then packed up. Before heading out of town we did some hiking in the red rocks of Sedona (my favorite). It is more amazing every time we go. After we were officially tired we headed back to Phoenix. When we got back to Phoenix we were surprised with nice cool fall-like weather. It was lovely. Santi had Saturday and Sunday off which was great because we had time to relax, work around the house, and watch some football. We enjoyed the nice 75 degree weather on Saturday and Sunday, unfortunately the heat is returning on Tuesday and we will be back to normal for the remainder of the week...95+ degrees. Oh well...I know we will soon be approaching winter which is the best time of year in the desert. Tomorrow I head back to school and Santi is back at work. I am looking forward to seeing my kiddos again...but I am not excited about getting up at 5:30! In about 4 weeks or so I have a long weekend, and then shortly after that Thanksgiving will be here! This is my favorite time of year!
On a final note, Santi's mom and dad booked a flight out here for December and will be here for almost 2 months! It will be great to spend that time with them. We are hoping to take a short trip to Vegas...which will be a first for me! We will also be thankful to have Santi's dad's help with some big projects around the house, the biggest being our backyard which is currently nothing but dirt. We will be so happy to have that finished and looking lovely since we spend so much time outside. I am just hoping we can scrounge up enough money for all the things we want to do in the yard. We also have to pay a big chunk of change for Santi to renew his green card. I will be glad when we are finished sending money to Immigration Services.
Santi also wants me to add that we are happy that the Colt's won today and Ecuador beat Chile 1-0:)
Well...that about sums it up for now! I will try to do a better job of keeping everyone updated when something interesting happens:)

Grad school begins...and fall is finally on its way (that just means the temperature is under 115)!

Well, although I would like to say that we spent labor day weekend working around the house, cooking out, and relaxing like most people would on labor day weekend...we didn't. Unfortunately Santi had to work all weekend, and I was stuck working on things for kindergarten AND grad school which started yesterday (yes, on labor day). I am really looking forward to the day when Santi and I aren't BOTH in school and working. It is so hard to spend time together. Not to mention with his current job he works a lot of weekends. Hopefully in about 2 more years we will both be finished with school!
Because of our crummy labor day weekend, we decided that we might do a short little getaway during my upcoming fall break the second week of October. Due to no snow days in the desert, I actually get a week for fall break! Last year it was two weeks, but they cut it down to allow for an earlier summer release next year. I will take one week over none any day. Because I LOVE fall and we don't experience anything really "fall-like" here in the desert, we are thinking of going up to Prescott or Pine Top. Both are in northern Arizona in the mountains. We thought it would be fun to get a little cabin and take the dog with us. I hope we can scrounge up enough money to make that happen. I think it would be delightful:)
Speaking of traveling...I am headed to Indiana the weekend of Sept. 13th. I am in Amanda's wedding and looking forward to it! I am not looking forward to getting behind on all the work to be done here, but I will be glad to go home and see friends and family as well as escape the heat. Santi and I were joking as we walked the dog tonight that we could tell "fall" was approaching because it was under 110 on our evening walk. I must say, the sunset was gorgeous tonight. Nothing compare to an Arizona sunset over the mountains. Living in the desert just like anywhere else has its ups and downs. I do miss water and the seasons....but I will trade those for the beauty I experience every day here. It is magnificent! If I REALLY miss the seasons or water, Prescott and Pine Top are only a couple of hours away.
Well....I should get busy on some grad school reading, I am sure it will be riviting.

Is it fall break yet?

I know, I know, I have only been in school for less than 3 weeks. It feels like 6 months already! WOW is kindergarten exhausting! Not to mention ELD kindergarten. I have spent the last few weeks in the midst of back to school madness. Meetings, parent night, and this week curriculum night. It seems like no matter how early I get to bed I am still just as tired the next day. Tomorrow the kiddos don't have school because it is a teacher in-service day...but I get to sit in meetings all day. I think I would rather be with the kids:) I feel like I just can't get caught up with all of the paperwork and things that must be accomplished to get the school year rolling. Basically every week I get maybe 20 minutes of prep time (total) during school. The rest comes before or after school, which means I am there before 7 usually and stay until after 4:30....add in Phoenix traffic and it makes for a LONG day. If you work in a school fortunate enough to have teacher's aids...be thankful!!!! So...kindergarten ELD...honestly I love it. The first 2 weeks we really just focused on rules and procedures...but this week they are really catching on. There is still the language barrier but they are learning new words in English every day and we PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. They are really good kids. I am concerned with some of them academically and developmentally, not so much with English language development ironically. Most of them did not attend preschool and a lot of them came in very behind developmentally. Of course I also have a few who are ahead of the game and I am scared of holding them back. 5 year olds are great...every day is fun and interesting. I had one kid today burst into tears because his tooth came out and he was in shock...he had no idea they were supposed to come out. It's funny....none of them really knew that except those who had already lost teeth. I also was reading a story today that mentioned "freckles", and a kid who had lots of them. Well...because they are learning English I make them repeat new words constantly. So....when I asked them to try to say the word "freckles"....it came out sounding like something completely different (think bad word)! Ha ha ha. You just don't realize all of the little things you have to work on them with that you wouldn't work on in regular kindergarten. For example simple things like asking to go to the bathroom....they don't know how to say it in English. Everything must be taught to them new. Ahhh...it's going to be an interesting year. On top of being swamped at work.....I am starting grad school Sept. 1st and planning a trip home for Amanda's wedding the 11th. I must be crazy. I just hope I can keep all these balls in the air. I really worry sometimes that I am taking on too much. Well...instead of rambling I should be working on the application to renew my Arizona teacher's license...by the way, can you believe they make you pay $120 for that?! Ridiculous.

Summer's end is here...

Okay, I know it's been awhile since the last post. These past few weeks have been VERY busy! After enjoying some nice relaxing "me" time in June, things really picked up in July. We started off the month enjoying a Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Tempe Town Lake. This being our first 4th in Arizona, we weren't quite sure where to go. We had heard that Tempe Town Lake was the place to be, so we decided to check it out. There was a huge crowd with lots of food, live bands, and the local news. We enjoyed some dinner and then sat by the lake and watched an amazing 45 minute fireworks show on the lake which was done to music. It was by far the best fireworks show we have ever seen! We also got to check out the Mill Ave. District which reminded us a lot of Kirkwood in Bloomington. Because ASU is in Tempe, it is very much a college town. It kind of felt like home:)
At the beginning of the month we also joined what is called a "Home Team" through our church. It is basically a Bible study. There are probably over 30 Home Teams throughout the west valley of Phoenix. It is really quite amazing that so many people are involved in weekly Bible studies. We decided based on our schedule to join one that meets Friday nights. We noticed that one of the Friday night options also happened to be a Spanish-speaking group. We decided it would be a great opportunity to connect with other Hispanic families, not to mention I could use the practice with my Spanish. It turns out they are trying to get a Spanish ministry started at our church, and the Home Team is pretty big. They are a great group of people, and although we have only been a couple of times, we really enjoy going. We are hoping to get involved with the mission of creating a Spanish ministry and eventually a Spanish service at church.
Just last week my parents came out to visit, see the new house, and help with painting. They arrived last Saturday and spent 5 days here. It was so great to spend that time with them. It is hard being so far away, but it also makes the time together that much more special. On Sunday we took them to see the Diamondbacks play the Dodgers. We were up the whole game until our closing pitcher blew it in the last inning. Even though we lost, we had a great time. It is nice to have so many pro sports teams so close. Going to games is a lot of fun. I think my parents enjoyed themselves too. They love baseball. On Monday we spent all day painting the living room, kitchen, entryway, and hallway. My dad also hung up two ceiling fans and he and Santi put together our frames and paintings from Ecuador. On Tuesday they finished up with the painting and then we all went up to Scottsdale for the day. We went to the mall and rode the trolley around Old Scottsdale. On Wednesday Santi had work and class so I took mom and dad shopping at the outlet mall. Before we knew it, it was time for them to head home. It seemed like their visit flew by! Hopefully next time they come out we won't have work to do on the house and we can do some more traveling and exploring. I really want to take them up to the Grand Canyon. We really appreciated all their help though. I will be home in September for Amanda's wedding, so I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
This past week or so I have been in and out of school and the teacher store trying to get my classroom ready. I feel like it is still a mess! I have so much to do that I don't even know where or how to start. The beginning of the school year is always a bit overwhelming, especially since I am teaching a new grade this year, not to mention I am teaching ELD (English Language Development). We are all still unsure how the new ELD program is going to work, so it will be challenging. I am looking forward to September when our routines have been established, I know my students a little better, and we are really in the thick of learning! I am also hoping that our new principal can really help us turn our school around this year. He seems great.
On top of all of that, I am applying to start grad school September 1st at Grand Canyon University. I will hopefully be getting a Master's in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Well, that about sums up my summer! Tomorrow I have to be back at school officially. We are swamped with meetings this week, back to school night Friday, and then next Monday is the first day!

Long Summer Days...

It's summer in the desert, and it's HOT. Well, what else would you expect? Santi and I have been living in Arizona almost a year now. It's amazing how time flies. As we move from June into July...I am hoping my summer heats up a little, and I don't mean the weather! I know, I know, I said I wanted a boring summer. Well, I enjoyed being lazy for most of June. I am now getting a bit restless. I am actually missing those Indiana summers. Not the humidity of course, but just missing having friends and family close by, fishing, the smell of fresh cut grass, barbecues. Right now Santi is busy working, most of my midwestern teacher friends are traveling, and to be honest we still haven't met a lot of people.

The Green Monster

Well, we have been in the new house several weeks now and we are slowly getting settled in. We are continuously working to make it reflect us and our personalities. So far we have painted the master bedroom and bathroom, and yesterday we decided to paint the office since Santi had the day off. We really wanted to paint the office green because we thought it would look really nice with the black furniture. We picked a green that looked almost like fresh green grass. We all know that paint never looks the same on the sample as it does on the walls. As we opened the can it was a shock of bright lime green. We went with the assumption that paint always dries darker, so we went for it and started painting. As the paint went on we went from "ooooh it will look nice when it is dry", to "it looks like a leprechaun threw up in here". We went ahead and finished, deciding that a second coat would help. After the room was finished you needed sunglasses just to step foot in it. We went to bed and decided maybe in the morning with the sunlight it would be better. Morning rolled around and Santi asked if I wanted to go check on "the green monster". We peeked in, and surprisingly it wasn't as bad as we had remembered from the night before. Our textured walls had absorbed so much of the paint that it was in definite need of at least one more coat before it looked decent, but it definitely wasn't the green monster from the night before. We are planning on completing the second coat on Wednesday, so hopefully it will turn out with the look we were going for!

One Year of Marriage

These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity with moving into our new house, ending the school year, and having my brother here to visit before his trip to Indonesia. In the midst of all the chaos, Santi and I were able to take some time to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. Santi had the day off work, so we were able to spend the whole day together which was very nice. During the school year it is very difficult to spend time together because he often works weekends when I am off. After we dropped Andrew off at the Food for the Hungry headquarters downtown, we headed to the Desert Botanical Gardens. I have been wanting to go for awhile, so I was very excited. The garden was beautiful...if only it wasn't over 100 degrees out. I guess that's par for the course when you live in the desert. We made our way through the garden jumping from shade spot to shade spot trying to stay cool. We found out that they have a flashlight tour on Thursdays and Sundays, so we decided that we will return later this summer and give that a try. All in all, it was a really neat experience. After the garden we wanted to go somewhere with AC, so we stopped by the teacher store and checked out the sale items for my kindergarten room this fall. I found a few good deals...but I still need a lot of things. Then we headed to the Chandler Fashion Mall and purchased some soap and candles for the house. After the mall, we grabbed a romantic (ha ha) lunch at El Pollo Loco (for those of you from the midwest, it is like the Mexican version of KFC). After lunch we decided to keep cool and see a movie. We went to see Baby Mama, which was actually very funny. By then it was time to pick Andrew up, so we swung back by the headquarters. On the way home we stopped at Rancho Market (the Mexican market) and picked up some food to grill for dinner. Yes, we bought a grill. I finally gave in, and I am glad I did because we have used it every night since we bought it. After dinner we enjoyed a piece of our frozen wedding cake and some dessert wine from the Oliver Winery that we brought back over spring break. It was really special being able to spend the entire day together, and honestly it didn't matter what we did. Yesterday I took Andrew up to the headquarters again and then ran some errands. Santi was back to work again, so I tried to accomplish some of the things that needed to be done around the house.
Andrew leaves tonight for Indonesia, and last night he stayed at the house of one of the guys he is going with. I am waiting for him to call and let me know exactly when his flight leaves. Depending on when it is, I may try to head up to the airport to see him off. Santi has class tonight and gas prices are through the roof, so we will see. I am so proud of the work he is doing, and I am hoping and praying that all goes well during his time there. I am not going to lie, I worry about him going there a lot. I will be happy when he is back in the U.S.!
On another note, now that things are finally starting to calm down and I have the summer to get settled into the house, one of the goals Santi and I have for the summer is to successfully get on a budget. It has been so difficult to get on track financially lately because of the move and all of the costs associated with a new house. Not to mention we still have our lease (and bills) at the apartment until the end of July. We are basically paying double right now on most bills. Making things even more of a challenge is the fact that I won't see another pay check until the end of August. On the last day of school they gave me a check for the rest of my salary, and that has to last us all summer long. If anyone has any tips for getting on track with a budget, pass them my way!
Wow...that was a lot of updating. I am not sure how much I will have to write over the next few months because we for once don't have a lot planned! I am just looking forward to a relaxing summer!

Looking Forward to BORING

WOW...what a hectic month May has proven to be. I knew we would be busy, but I had no idea how much it would wipe us out. Really, this past year has been a whirlwind of major life events. In the last month alone, we have had a visit from Santi's grandfather from Ecuador, spent a weekend in LA for his cousin's first communion, closed on our house, moved in, bought new furniture, and began painting. This week I am finishing up the school year, and my brother is coming for a visit tomorrow before he leaves on a mission trip to Indonesia.
Because I am lacking on all of these updates, I will give you a brief run down.
A few weeks ago Santi's grandpa made a stop in Phoenix after visiting Santi's parents in Indiana. He arrived on a Wednesday night. Of course he arrived with all sorts of Ecuadorian goodies, including two beautiful paintings from Ecuador for our new house. I can hardly wait to get them on the wall. Thursday we went to see the house (it was a week before closing). He was able to see the house completed before any of our other family members, and he loved it. He was showing us exactly where to put the paintings. On Thursday night we took him to a Diamondbacks baseball game. He said he has always wanted to see a pro baseball game, so it was really neat to experience that with him. We decked him out with a Diamondbacks shirt and cap. That was also the first time Santi and I had been to a Diamondbacks game, and we had a really great time. The field is incredible. We are definitely Diamondback fans now!
On Friday afternoon we took Santi's grandpa out to LA for Santi's cousin's first communion. We spent Saturday touring downtown LA and shopping. We also go to go out to eat at a Brazilian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Santi LOVES Brazilian restaurants, so he was happy. It was definitely a very classy place we would not have gone to on our own. On Sunday morning we attended Andres' first communion. He was so adorable! The party then followed at Coco Palms Cuban restaurant. I LOVE CUBAN FOOD! The food was incredible! We really enjoyed spending time with Santi's family. After the party we all went back to Gonzalo and Noemi's house and jumped in the pool because it was HOT that weekend!
The following Friday after returning from LA, we closed on our house! The closing process was much smoother than I had anticipated, and in less than an hour we were officially homeowners! We swung by the furniture store on our was to the house and picked out a new bedroom set for our anniversary. That night we spent painting our master bedroom. We couldn't wait to get rid of the white walls, white does not suite us!
Since the closing we have stayed busy changing the colors of the house and shopping for furniture and accessories. The next task will be landscaping the backyard, which I know is going to be a LOT of work. Thankfully school is out in 3 days and Santi and I will have much more free time to work on the house.
Tomorrow my brother will be arriving to spend about a week with us before he leaves for his mission trip to Indonesia with Food for the Hungry. We are excited for his visit and are looking forward to spending time with him. He is such a neat kid and he has such a big heart. It is hard to believe how grown up he is! I am so proud of him, and I am honored to be his sister. He may be my little brother, but I definitely look up to him.
With all that has been going on lately, I am actually hoping and praying that I have a BORING summer so by the time school resumes in August I am full of energy and excitement (which I will need now that I am teaching kindergarten)! Our lives have just been so crazy this past year and I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. All the madness is about to come to a close for now and we can hopefully relax until our next adventure begins.

We are homeowners!!!

I never thought the day would arrive, but it came and went. The closing went smoothly and last Friday we were handed the keys to our new house! It has been so exciting moving in and getting situated. We really love this house, it is perfect for us. Tevez absolutely LOVES his new backyard. The landscaping still needs to be completed, but he is having fun running circles after his tennis balls. We are still waiting to move our furniture and a few other things for the apartment. My brother will be here Wednesday to help out, which we REALLY appreciate. As an anniversary gift for each other, we bought a bedroom set and painted our master bedroom and bathroom. It is still a work in progress but should be looking good very soon! The rest of the house we plan on tackling little by little. It is just so nice to have extra space to stretch out. It is going to keep us busy for awhile, but we are really enjoying every bit of it, even taking the trash out to the curb. I can already picture us sitting out on the patio every night (all year long out here:) ) .

It's almost here!

Well...I never thought it would get here but we are now less than 2 days away from the big day!!!! That's right, we are closing on the house this Friday! We are so excited. It is hard to believe just how much has happened in only a year. Last year at this time we were anxiously awaiting our wedding day and wondering what our next step would be. In just one short year we have gotten married, gotten new jobs, moved across the country, got a dog, and built a new house. I never would have believed that if you would have told me a year ago! Being able to build our own home so quickly has been such a blessing. I know it is going to be a lot of work, but it will be so wonderful to have a place of our own. It is worth it. We are so thankful for this opportunity and so happy to own our very own home. We will keep you posted on the moving and getting settled!

Juanes!

Since Santiago and I first started dating, there has been one musician that I like to say has been the soundtrack to our relationship. Santi introduced me to Juanes, a Columbian artist, within weeks of our first date and I have been hooked ever since. His songs have always seem to fit our relationship as it grew and emerged into what is now a beautiful marriage. One our one year dating anniversary I made Santi a picture frame with the lyrics to a Juanes song, and we danced to Juanes at our wedding, but I never imagined we would ever be able to see him in concert. Because he is a Latin artist, he never performed anywhere near Indiana other than Chicago. This year we were able to get tickets to see him in concert in Tucson. This past Sunday we made the drive down to Tucson, just about an hour from the Mexico border, and saw him in concert at a beautiful outdoor amphitheater surrounded by desert and mountains. It was an amazing concert and brought tears to my eyes because each song reminded me of a point in our relationship. I will never forget that concert and I am so glad we were finally able to see him live!!!

Home Updates

The progress on our house is really moving along now. We now have painted walls, a driveway, cabinets, and some lighting fixtures. It is looking even more like a house and we can't wait until closing day!!!!!
Our apartment is getting more and more cramped as our dog gets bigger and we continue to make shopping trips to IKEA for the house. We purchased a new dining room set and patio set that is currently boxed up in our living room, along with tons of other random things we have been collecting for the house. We are also in the market for our first real bedroom set as a married couple. We are sad to say that we are still sleeping on a hand me down bed and mattress!
We have made numerous trips to Lowe's to look at paint and backyard necessities. I am so excited to get started making it our own, but I don't think I will ever be able to make a decision on paint colors! If anyone has suggestions please let me know! We are also a little stressed about the backyard. Our front yard will be landscaped for us, but not the backyard and it is currently just dirt. We want to lay some grass, but being in the desert that isn't always easy. We also discovered that rock would be much more expensive than we expected. It is important to get something other than dirt as quickly as possible so Tevez doesn't dig holes and make a mess coming inside covered in dirt. Hopefully we will come up with a solution.
We will keep you posted as the progress continues. We are still looking at a May 23rd closing date and we are counting down the days!

Back Home Again in Indiana...and Other Random News

Well...it's hard to believe that spring break has come and gone. I guess time flies when you're having fun. We are not ready to go back to work tomorrow but that's life. Unless we win the lottery we are going to be working many more years!
It was really great spending time relaxing with family and friends. We spent the first part of the week in Jasper with my family. We did some shopping and went to North Vernon to see family. We even got to go to my cousin's daughter's birthday party and see all the little ones. It seems like every time we go to North Vernon the number of little ones has multiplied! They are all so cute and growing so quickly.
The second part of the week we hung out in Bloomington. We got to check out all of the new places in Bloomington and spend time with Santi's family. We went to Oliver Winery which is always a hit. Of course we picked up some wine to take home. On Friday night Santi's old boss Susan hosted a game night at her house just like old times. It was great to sit around and talk with everyone. We really miss that gang! We went out to Bears and Nick's after game night and stayed out the latest we have in a LONG time! I got to see Jen and meet the new guy, so that was really nice. We felt so old out at the bars again...it seems like only yesterday we were up and down Kirkwood every weekend.
Poor Totti and Rossdale (our parents' dogs) are having a rough time. Rossdale is getting so old and he is starting to look it. He is almost 11 years old! Poor Totti just had surgery to get neutered and now he has torn a ligement in his leg and has to have surgery again!
Our baby Tevez stayed with a friend of ours in Phoenix. He had a fabulous time playing with her dogs Annie and Daisy. Unfortunately I think now that he is back home he is either really really worn out or he is missing Annie. I think they became pretty good friends. Santi and I really missed Tevez and we are glad he is home. We took him to get groomed today and went ahead and shaved him to prepare him for the hot weather ahead. He looks like a total dork but at least he will be nice and cool.
We also went out to the house today and what a shock! It is getting so close to being finished! It is now painted, has a driveway, a garage door, kitchen cabinets, walls are painted, backyard privacy wall is up, and some of the light fixtures are in. We are getting SO excited! In about 7 weeks we will be moving in! The countdown is on!
Well...seeing as tomorrow we have to go back to work, I better get off the computer and get ready!

Spring Break!

So...spring break has finally arrived for me! I thought it would never get here. After a LONG week of parent/teacher conferences and wild students, I am ready to RELAX! I also found out some good news before we left for our break. I will be teaching first grade ELD (English Language Development) next year which is exactly what I wanted. No more 5th graders for me!
I started my spring break today by shopping and spending quality time with Santiago who also had the day off. I got some "spring clothes" if you can call them that since it is always warm here. I also enjoyed a much deserved pedicure.
We also took poor little Tevez to get neutered this morning. He was a much calmer version of the dog we know when we picked him up this evening. He has been whining since we got home, which I hope is only because we made him go to his crate so he wouldn't jump around.
Well, tomorrow I plan on laying by the pool and getting a tan. Next week I have ELD training and then it's off to Indiana. I will post again after we return!

Getting Anxious

As the house starts to look more and more like a house, Santi and I are getting excited, and a little anxious. We are so ready to be able to stretch out in our house and get out of this cramped apartment. It is going to be so wonderful to finally have a place to call our own. We can't wait to paint and work in the backyard. I think the best part will be knowing we can finally stay put in one place for longer than a year! These past 4 years, between the two of us, we have lived in 7 different places! Knowing we won't have to pack up again for awhile will be such a relief. We can finally get comfortable in a place of our own, and finally have somewhere to call home.
Even though we are thrilled that our closing is just around the corner, it is also a very stressful thing. Buying a house is a BIG deal, especially your first house. I feel like we are so clueless sometimes. This is all so new to us, and that makes it scary. Even though I know we will be fine, the thought of a mortgage payment scares me!

Our Pictures

Blessed

I just wanted to take a minute before we move into yet another week of work to just be thankful for all of the blessings in our life. It seems so easy for Santiago and I to get overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the things we have going on in our lives. We get caught up in the whirlwind around us and we forget that God is in control and even though we face struggles, they are only part of His plan to build our faith and make us stronger. We may not be rich by any means, but we have jobs that pay our bills every month and even leave a little to enjoy life and share our blessings...and there are people all around us struggling to make ends meet. Santiago is able to complete his degree, something he thought he would never be able to do, and it's paid for! I have my own classroom after waiting and hoping and searching for a year. We are actually able to be building our very own house right now...when many people don't have a roof over their heads. We live in a great place that we love...and we enjoy warm sunny weather the majority of the year. We have wonderful family and friends that love and support us in all of our endeavors and hardships. Bottom line...WE ARE SO BLESSED.

A Desert Storm

So last night we got to enjoy something we haven't enjoyed since moving to Arizona last July....A THUNDERSTORM! Now, you might think it's a little crazy to get so excited about something like a thunderstorm, but when you go months without a drop of rain, there is nothing better than lying in bed at night and hearing the rain on the roof and the thunder booming.
Right now we are in the "rainy season" here in the desert, but rain is still a rare occasion. It was so refreshing to just enjoy the peacefulness a thunderstorm brings, and it felt like home. There are a lot of things I don't miss about Indiana: snow, unpredictable weather, cold winters...but I do miss those big Indiana thunderstorms with the lightning flashing and thunder cracking. There is just something so soothing about storms.
Although I do miss thunderstorms, there are plenty of things to enjoy in the desert. I love driving to work every morning with the sun shining, windows down, and the purple mountains in the distance. I love being able to enjoy weekends outdoors all year round. I love the cacti and the palm trees. I love living so close to so many great places. I LOVE being an hour and a half from Sedona, which is my new favorite place to be.
While Indiana will always be my home, Arizona is really growing on me. We will be "back home again in Indiana" at the end of March. I will get my fill of corn fields, GRASS, fresh country air, and of course my family....then it will be back to the desert where I will be glad to get back to warm sunny weather!

The Truth About Life as Newlyweds

Everyone thinks that life as newlyweds is pure bliss 24/7. I must admit, when it comes to our relationship it can't get much better. However the reality is that being young and newly married also means being broke! Santiago and I have recently started to work on a budget that will hopefully allow us to quickly pay off debts, save money, and hopefully furnish our new home as well. That being said...we are going to have to suck it up and avoid all the fun stuff that we love to do. No more weekend getaways, no more concerts, no more shopping, no more pedicures, no more eating out. This is all very challenging for us due to the fact that we live in such a happening city with so many great getaways close by. If we were in boring old Indiana it wouldn't be so hard:) Boooooo. I guess that is just part of "growing up".

The Tevster

Tevez is such a sweet dog...at home. He loves to climb up on the couch and sit on our laps, despite the fact that he weighs 50 lbs. He loves to roll around on the floor with his blanket. He watches the Dog Whisperer with us...and he REALLY watches it. He gives kisses, he always has to be right next to one of us, and he loves to cuddle with us in bed. BUT...
when we try to go out with him...he is BAD. As soon as we are outside our apartment, he thinks he is the boss. He does whatever he wants, and it is as if we aren't even there. We usually go to the dog park about 5-6 times a week so he can run off his energy. We go to the park because we can't take him for walks. He pulls us along, even Santi. We have tried everything, and he even wiggles his way out of his collar sometimes!
I LOVE my dog. I hate taking him out! Today it was a beautiful 80 degree day in the desert, and I hurried out of school to take Tevez to our favorite park. As soon as we arrived at the park, I opened the car door and out he jumped. I grabbed his choker chain, and he squirmed his way right out and took off! At least he never goes toward the parking lot, he just runs straight for the other dogs. When I call his name in the park, it's as if I am not even there.
I can only hope that we can get him under control outside so I can go for walks with him. He is such a loving dog...and we adore him. He is our first baby...and there won't be any others for a LONG time:)

Is It Summer Break Yet?

I am going to go out on a limb and say that no other job requires as much heart and soul as teaching. Some days I wake up and I cannot wait to get into my classroom and see all those rowdy 5th graders ready for a new day. Other days, like today in particular, I am left wondering what in the world I was thinking when I chose this career. My days are full and I never leave work feeling satisfied. I get to school early and I stay late. I often work through lunch. Some days I don't even have a prep period due to another teacher's absence or a meeting. That means no bathroom break all day. In the end I would like to at least have the feeling of having helped one child reach their potential, but every day I feel I am insufficient. My students need so much...and I never have enough to give of myself. I know most people would think I am crazy...that all teachers make a difference. I know, I am sure you would tell me that I have made a difference in one child's life, and that that's enough, but for me it's not. This to me was more than a career, it was a passion. I am starting to feel like that passion is dwindling. I just get so frustrated with students who walk into the classroom with a sense of entitlement...thinking they have earned my respect when they haven't. Yes I want nothing more than to help them learn and have a fighting chance in this world, but when I have to face every day dealing with the repercussions of poor parenting and a bad educational system, it seems like that fighting chance is slipping further and further away. My responsibilities as a teacher grow every day, and my pay shrinks. No matter how many hours I work, I never get ahead. I go home feeling tired, stressed, and hopeless. All I can hope for is the opportunity to transfer to a lower grade next year and catch them BEFORE it's too late.

The Bones of a Home

So...I couldn't resist mentioning that the framing is almost complete on our new home. It is so strange to see it finally take shape after imagining it for so long. We can hardly wait to have the keys in our hands! It is such an exciting experience...I can hardly wait to watch as it continues to develop from dirt to our home!

Our First Blog

Well...this blog is intended to keep family and friends across the country, and the world for that matter, updated on our lives. You know, moving away has been a wonderful experience for us, but being so far away from those we love hasn't been easy. So much has changed since our wedding in June...and we want to feel that although we may be separated by miles, you are all with us on our journey.
So...that being said, what exactly has happened since our absolutely amazing wedding?
For starters, we spent the week after our wedding on a much needed honeymoon in Hawaii. It was the first time experiencing Hawaii for both of us, and it was incredible. We are already hoping to go back one day for an anniversary. Upon returning for the honeymoon, we were in newlywed limbo, living with Santi's parents and not sure what our next move would be. Luckily, after over a year of searching, in mid-July I FINALLY landed a teaching job...and we had a WEEK to move across the country to Arizona!!!!!
The week after accepting the teaching position was a whirlwind. We quickly packed up all of our wedding gifts and the few other things we owned. After a quick search for apartments online and a goodbye to friends and family, we packed up both cars and began our first and biggest newlywed adventure.
After a ridiculously long drive across the United States, punctuated by a torturous last leg through the desert in the blazing sun, we arrived in Phoenix, AZ...and it was 120 degrees outside! One might think we would question our decision at that point, but we were too exhausted to care. Thanks to Santi's parents' help in driving our other car and my parent's help in shipping our things that wouldn't fit in the car...we had made the big move.
Our apartment was nice, minus the fact that our belongings weren't scheduled to arrive for 2 more weeks and we didn't own furniture. I started orientation the very next day after we arrived. While I was caught in a whirlwind of getting ready to begin my first year of teaching 5th grade at Desert Oasis Elementary, poor Santi was stuck in the apartment looking for jobs and sitting on the floor to watch TV.
Finally, after our air mattress popped, we decided it was time to buy some furniture. I had a moment to breath and we went to IKEA (greatest store ever) and picked out some great new digs for our apartment. It was starting to look like home, and Arizona was growing on us.
BUT...what would a home be without a dog? So....you guessed it, after checking out the ads in the local paper, we settled on a beautiful Golden Retriever puppy named Tevez (some may guess he was named after the soccer player, and you are correct). Tevez settled right into our apartment and turned us into a little family. He is a happy-go-lucky guy that has grown from
9 lbs to 50 lbs!!! He loves to chase other dogs at the park, eat Frosty Paws ice cream treats, and pretend he is a lap dog. We adore him.
After a short job search, Santi finally landed a job that he has grown to love. He is working as a sales rep. for Verizon Wireless (anyone need a new phone?). This job has been a challenge, and an exciting one. Despite the sometimes less than convenient hours, he has enjoyed the opportunity to work his way up and make money based on performance...and my favorite part, they are paying for him to finish his degree! So...besides working full time, being a great husband, and chasing the dog around, Santi is working on his marketing degree from the University of Phoenix (not the online one, they actually have a campus).
I am still busy at school...trying to keep up with my street smart 5th grades:) They make me want to scream sometimes, and other times I can't help but laugh at them. Working in my school is a challenge, but it's worth it. My students may be hard to reach, but when you do reach them it makes it that much more special. Next year I will be most likely teaching in an ELD (English Language Development) classroom. A new state law has passed requiring these classrooms for all schools with ELL students. Our school is 50% ELL, therefore we will have approximately 1 ELD classroom per grade level. I am hoping this will give me the opportunity to move down to a lower grade as well.
Our love of Phoenix has grown as the cold temperatures have arrived in the midwest. We have experienced mild weather for most of the days from November-February. We had a little bit of a "cold" spell (40 degrees or so) over Christmas and parts of January...but this week has brought back the sun and some 80 degree temperatures. Mom called this morning and complained about her 12 degree drive to work...we don't miss that...at all.
Another wonderful thing about Phoenix has been our close proximity to some really great new travel spots as well as a variety of entertainment right here. So far we have been to Sedona twice (amazing), the Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles to visit Santi's family. We are about 4 hours from Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Mexico. I am sure we will be enjoying lots of weekend getaways in the next few years! In September we won tickets to see one of our favorite Latin rock bands (Mana), who rarely venture out to the midwest. We also got to experience the craziness of Super Bowl as we played host to the big game right down the road from our apartment. All I can say about that is...TRAFFIC. We didn't even dare go near the stadium on game night, although I am sure it would have been cool to see. I am just glad the Giants won.
This brings me to our most exciting news of the year: we are building a house! Phoenix is a buyer's market right now and with the always increasing property values here in the Valley of the Sun (no one ever retires and goes north), we decided it would be a great investment for us to purchase now and possibly cash in a few years down the road. Plus, rent here is comparable to mortgage payments, and our dog is taking over our tiny apartment. Our house is currently under construction and will be located in a suburb called Goodyear. Goodyear happens to be the 4th fastest growing suburb in the U.S. right now! It is a beautiful, quickly growing city, located just about 20 min. west of Phoenix. Our home is going to be about 1,400 sq. feet and located in a beautiful master planned community. The estimated closing date is May 23rd, but we are anticipating some delay as is typical with new home builds. We are thrilled to move into our first home...and finally be done with musical apartments ( I have lived in 4 apartments in the last 3 years). So...all of you out there who would like to escape the winter weather, come on out!
Well...I don't think I will typically write such long posts, but this being the first one, I had to catch everyone up on what we have been up to these past 8 months. We will keep you all posted on the house, Tevez, work, and school in the upcoming months. We will be home for a visit March 28th-April 5th and hope to see many of you then, however you better warm up the weather before we arrive...our tough Indiana blood has worn thin!