Adventures at Eel Lake

Nick had conferences last week, so I only worked in the mornings due to half-days all week.  Nick carpools with a coworker, but Thursday his conferences ended much earlier than hers did, so I picked him up.  I took the dogs with me so we could play frisbee on the fields at our school.  Some of Nick's students were on the playground while their parents were in conferences.   They came down to the field to play with our dogs.  Fun was had by all!

After we were done playing frisbee, we decided to do some exploring.  We stopped at this little convenience store down the road called the Wagon Wheel.  Nick discovered that they have amazing Beer Dogs for only 99 cents.  He was in heaven!  With a delicious Beer Dog in his tummy, Nick suggested we take the dogs up to Eel Lake.  It was only a few miles north on the highway.  We have kayaked it a couple of times, but wanted to explore the hiking trail.  So, we did!

We didn't hike the entire trail because we were running out of daylight, but we did about 3 miles round trip.  It was a beautiful little hike.  The dogs found an exposed wasp nest along the trail and both dogs were stung a couple of times.  I carry Benadryl with me after Eliot's last encounter with bees.  Both dogs were just fine.

The trail is also open to mountain bikes, so Nick wants to build me one.  The trails were wide and would be good for the first time mountain biker, like myself.  Here are some pictures from our adventure:

 Eel Lake is behind us.

 Nick decided to build us a survival shelter.  I'm not sure the four of us would fit.  Luckily we didn't need it.

 Since the dogs didn't need their leashes, Nick adopted Sticky and is walking her on Eliot's leash.

 Eliot was so happy!

 Nick and Eliot looking at the lake.

 My boys on the trail.

Stevie.

Sticky is on the blue leash.  We then adopted Branchie and she is on the black leash.

After we got back to the park, Nick decided to play with the dogs on the slides.

We had a blast exploring Eel Lake!  We plan to go back again soon to hike the rest of the trail.  

Cheers!

Ashley, Nick, Steve, and Eliot

Weekend Adventures at Bastendorff Beach

We had a beautiful fall weekend on the Coast.  It was sunny and warm, so we took advantage of the amazing weather and took the puppies to the beach.  We went here (Bastendorff Beach):

Nick and Eliot played so much frisbee!

Eliot was EXHAUSTED!  He had to cool off in a nice, calm tide pool.

Unfortunately, he also drank a lot of saltwater...it made him sick when we got home.

We learned two things on this fun family adventure:

1. Steve CAN swim! (Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of him actually swimming.  The following was right after he climbed out)

2. Eliot will chase a frisbee into water, but he will not put his head under the water to get it.

No amount of coaxing could get him to retrieve his favorite frisbee...

So Nick had to rescue it for him.

Thank you for reading about our adventures!  Stay tuned for more family adventures!

Cheers!

Ashley, Nick, Steve, & Eliot

Not-so-Unemployed Anymore...

So, I guess I'm no longer unemployed, but I don't have a full-time teaching job.  I am working at Nick's school as a teacher's assistant.  It has been really fun and made me realize how much I miss teaching.  I was so close to giving up on the profession and going back to grad. school.  I even had a program picked out and was getting ready to fill out the application.  This job came at just the right moment.  It made me realize that I wasn't frustrated with the profession, it was my school (not the students) and my district.   The politics and lack of respect was making me sick and depressed.  My new school is so different.  I feel appreciated and valued.  There is freedom from curriculum and they trust their teachers.  This week they asked me to substitute for our 4th grade teacher and it has been fantastic!  Some things came up, so I don't know how long I'll be teaching 4th grade, but I hope it's for a while.  The students are amazing!  I really enjoy being back in the classroom.  I hope that I can get a full-time position here in the next year or two.  It is nice being able to drive to work with Nick in the morning and teach in the classroom next door to him.  Things are definitely starting to look up!

An Unusual String of Events

I have a lot of free time lately.  Nick works all day and I need something to keep me busy.  Last week Nick and I were talking about possible volunteer ideas.  I told him that I wanted to work with kids or families in need.  I started doing some research, but was having trouble finding places in the area because I didn't know where to look.  I joked about DHS (neither of us is too fond of them) and Nick mentioned that they always need advocates for kids.  That puzzled me.  I thought you had to have a law degree or something to do that...

The next day I was at a new coffee shop that I found.  It actually ended up being exactly what I was looking for (minus internet).  It is a local place, owned by a woman who bakes delicious treats and makes coffee.  There are some comfortable chairs inside and a very nice patio out back.  This will be my spot when I'm looking for somewhere to go.

Anyway, while I was there last week, the owner asked me where I was from and was giving me some places to explore.  Then an older man piped up with some suggestions.  We got to talking and one of his friends joined in.  I mentioned that I was new to the area and would be substituting this year.  Apparently, the man's friend used to be a principal and he was giving me tips for finding a job.  I mentioned that I was looking for volunteer opportunities and they mentioned that they were CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates).  I had never heard of a CASA before (which is ridiculous because they play a critical role in the lives of children in foster care.)  As a teacher, I should have known about them.  They started telling me about the work of a CASA.  These are the people who act as the child's voice in court when there are hearings regarding abuse and neglect. They started giving me a lot of information about it and I got really excited!  This must have been what Nick was referring to.  Maybe this is the opportunity I'd been hoping to find.  I found out that they were already in the middle of a training class, but got the contact information anyway.  I called the trainer and she decided that she'd make an exception and squeeze me in.  I'd have to do some make-up work, but with my experience as a teacher, she thought I'd do fine.  I am in the second week of my CASA training and it is amazing.  I know that once I get a case it will be hard to deal with all of the things my child/children went through, but it will give me a chance to help them be heard in court.  I've always wanted to help students this way, but there was never an appropriate opportunity to do so.  Maybe this will be my chance to make a difference in this world.

While on a drive yesterday, I started thinking...The average teacher makes it 4 years in the profession before quitting for various reasons.  I taught for 4 years and now I don't have a job.  Is teaching something I still really want to do?  I am really missing school right now, but I found a journal from the beginning of last year in which I wrote about how exhausted and stressed I was and how I didn't want to teach anymore.  It was too much and I was miserable.  Things got better and then bad again toward the end of the year.  If the average teacher only makes it 4 years, what do they do after?  My initial instinct is "Yes, I still want to teach."  But is that what I really want?  What else could I do?  I feel like teaching comes pretty naturally to me and I don't really think I'm good enough at anything else.  I want a career, not some casual job to kill time and I want to make decent money, not work for minimum wage.  But what do I do?  Do I go back to school?  Can I afford that?  What would I study?  What would I be good at?  What can I do in or near a small town in the  Pacific Northwest?  Will there be teaching jobs for Nick?  Do I want to give up having summers off with him?  With our future kids?  Maybe I should get a special education endorsement so I can work with smaller groups of kids and maybe part-time?  Would I even like that?  I know what I want, but it's not possible for me to have it now, so what do I do instead.  I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment.  Any thoughts or advice is welcome!

Family Adventure: North Spit/Horsfall Beach

After Nick got home from work today, we took the puppies to the beach.  We parked at the North Spit and walked about a mile on a sand road to the beach.  The beach spanned for miles!  For most of the time, we were the only ones there.  Eliot had a blast chasing his frisbee.  We even let Steve off his leash for a while and he was such a good boy.  We played in the water and Nick invented a new game for him and Eliot to play called "Bull Shark."  Here are some pictures from today's family adventure.

Saturday's Adventure: Find a Cafe Where I Can Drink Coffee, Read, and Write

In Eugene, there was never a shortage of coffee joints, many of which have free internet.  I have decided to write this blog and I may even attempt a children's book.  I just want to find a place where I can enjoy a nice cup of coffee and read my Nook or write on my  computer.  Unfortunately, I have found that there are a depressing number of decent coffee shops in this area: 1.

 I was excited because I heard wonderful things about a place called Sozo's Tea & Coffee.  I even drove by after hours and peeked in the window.  It looked like the perfect place for me to hang out.  When I got there today, I found that it just went out of business.  Total bummer!  So, I drove across town to a place called Empire Cafe.  The reviews on the internet said it had  a full coffee bar.  To my disappointment, it specialized as a bread and wine bar.  The coffee was available, but they only offered whole milk, that doesn't work for someone who doesn't drink milk.  They didn't even have Italian Sodas!  It was pretentious, and while they had good food, the menu was limited and there was no internet.  Also, I never got my coffee...

Stop number 3 for the day took me to Books By The Bay.  This is a small, local bookstore that also has a cafe inside.  It has good food, decent coffee, and a good selection of books for its size.  Internet access is available and I am writing from this location as we speak.  I think this is going to be my regular hang out, unless something new and better pops up.  They don't have a lot of vegetarian options for snackie foods, but it's a nice place.  My only draw back is that I feel weird reading my Nook in a small bookstore since Nooks are one of the main reasons places like this are going out of business.  Today, there was an author discussing her book about motorcycle touring.  I was surprised to see that almost the entire audience was 50+ year  old women.  I wonder how many of them actually ride motorcycles?

The only other place I have found is Kafe 101.  I actually avoid this place because it makes me uncomfortable.  It is clearly owned by a very religious Christian family.  I don't have a problem with people being religious, but I do have a problem when it is shoved in my face.  This place has baskets of Bibles on the floor so that you can do Bible Study as groups or individuals while you enjoy your coffee.  There are also Bible quotes on the wall and a Christian bookstore inside.  I imagine that this would be a wonderful place if you like that sort of thing.  I, however, feel like I am being excluded because I am not a religious person.  It serves as a constant reminder that this is not a place where I belong and I feel uncomfortable spending any amount of time in a place where I am not wanted or valued for who I am.  Needless to say, this will not be my regular hangout.

For now, I am happy with Books By The Bay.  I will continue to look for something that is a little bit more ideal, but this will do.  It's about 2 miles from my house, so maybe I'll start walking down here as part of my exercise routine.

Cheers!
Ashley

And So It Begins...

Well, it is officially the weekend before school starts here in the Coos Bay area.  Nick is hard at work setting up his classroom, writing lesson plans, doing all of those things teachers frantically put together before their students come back.  Me?  Well, this is the first time in 4 years I haven't been participating in this mad rush to be fully prepared before those kids enter the room.  They come whether you're ready or not.  My days have been much less eventful as an unemployed teacher.

In the last 3 days since Nick has gone back to work, I've woken up around 10 every morning.  I usually do some kind of exercise: biking, walking, jogging, etc.  Then I make myself some lunch, shower, and get "ready" for the day.  I'm usually "ready" by the time Nick gets home from work.  Note to Self: Wake up Earlier!  Then I work around the house (dishes, laundry, etc.) until Nick gets home.  We spend the evenings together walking the dogs, watching TV, taking naps, or working on school things (which I am happy to help with).

MONEY!!  Although I like hanging out and doing whatever I want, the stress arises when I think of money.  How am I supposed to pay bills?  Loans?  And for fun and food?  I don't want Nick to have to pay for everything, so inevitably I will have to find a job.  I applied to 3 teaching positions down here, only to find that a local school was closed and the positions were filled quickly.  I didn't even get an interview...sigh...Talk about a blow to one's ego!  I think I'm a good teacher.  I've been told that I'm a fantastic teacher, but I couldn't even get an interview.  It totally sucks, but I guess that's how it goes.  I have accepted that fact that I will be a substitute teacher and a domesticated "housewife," so to speak.  I'm sure lots of stories will arise from my days as a substitute and I will be sure to post them.  I just hope the kids are nice to me.

This blog is a way for me to document the adventures I have as an unemployed teacher.  I have never been unemployed, so it will be an interesting experience.  I know there are a lot of other people out there in my situation, so maybe it will help others cope with their situation.

Cheers!
Ashley