Sooooo, where have I been? I don’t know that I have enough time to describe it all in proper well written paragraphs so I’ll go with a bulleted break-down of the last year.

• October: DC was Great! Four days was not even close to enough. Photos are on flickr. Ben and I decided we will go back for sure.
• October/November: Got back from break and started focusing hardcore on where I was going with my career. I either had to pass my interview w/ Hamilton and make it to the new H.S. in town, or decide what job I would have instead. I had already made the decision that I was definitely NOT going to stay @ CGUHS knowing who the admin. team was going to be.
• November :my grandma got really ill and I had to drive out to Murietta, CA with Mom to help. Grandma was in 3 different hospitals and went through several procedures. Docs said she had only months to live. We left a week later and finally came home.
• December :we flew to Wyoming for a couple days to visit Ben’s family. It was cold and snowy and super awesome for it to feel like winter/Christmas season.
• January: Grandma got worse again and ended up in a skilled nursing facility because she couldn’t live by herself. She passed away and mom had to go back to make arrangements. I couldn’t go with her, so my Uncle Roger went out there and helped her pack up Grandma’s apartment and haul a bunch of stuff back to AZ.
• February: found out I was hired by Hamilton to go to Vista Grande H.S. One of the best days of my life. Not allowed to tell anyone for like a whole month while he finished the interviewing process. For the rest if the school year much jealousy and rudeness came spewing forth from many of my coworkers. On the other hand, many who I am still in contact with were very happy for me because they knew how much it meant! Torturous last few months.
• March: nothing really astounding happened…
• April: On the 29th Ben and I celebrated 6 years. Still can’t believe I was lucky enough to find someone so perfect for me!
• May: School ended the last week and I packed up 4 years worth of teaching accoutrement. It sucked. Mostly because Ben was already doing river trips and mom was my only help. Not so much because I was sad to leave. Forced to be totally gone and bare-roomed by last day of school or I would not get ny last check. Found out later that was an illegal move, but too late to do anything about it… Again, the ill treatment by colleagues…not cool.
• June 7th:Finally went on another River Trip in the Grand Canyon with Ben. Theis time it was a seven day and a three day. It was amazing as always. I would live down there if I could. Great people on the trip, some of whom i still keep in contact with through Facebook! Pics of this trip are on flickr.
• June 22nd: Started moving all my school stuff from the garage at home to my brand new classroom!!! So exciting, but confusing…how do you now where to put everything when you’ve never done it there before. *I’m still getting used to where everything is a whole month into school!*
• June 26th: Ribbon cutting ceremony at Vista Grande High School. Ben and I helped set up and Jason Peters from Skydive Arizona did  a demo in with the American flag. super cool. My photo of Jason swooping the flag made it into the Casa Grande Dispatch as the background photo in the thank you ad from VGHS!
• July: @ end of June we left to Laramie, WY for our annual summer trip to visit Ben’s fam. It was beautiful weather and a good time as always.
• July 23rd: Left for San Diego with Kaitlyn my Editor in Chief to yearbook Camp @SDSU. Camp was great but while I was there I had what I later found out was my first panic attack. Despite the 9 hours overnight in the hospital, camp was super informative and Kaitlyn and I left chanting”yearbook is my life” and plotting our amazing book the whole way home!
• August: First week was spent in school meetings and finalizing my room/plans, etc. Teaching Freshman English, Beginning Yearbook, and Photography Academy this year. Very excited, but also admittedly nervous about teaching in a block schedule this year. Turns out block schedule is no big deal. I actually like it a lot better from the perspective of an English teacher. The night of the first day of school I had my second panic attack and ended up in the ER again. I took the next day off from work and went to see my regular doctor who put me on a steady dose of Klonopin and gave me some Atavan for emergencies. I have been diagnosed as having an anxiety spectrum disorder. To get a more specific diagnosis I would need to see a Psychiatrist, but almost all of the non-whack job ones in AZ are booked solid for like 5 months. I’m doing fine on my current meds and am waiting to decide if I will pursue further diagnosis. Being yearbook adviser has already been TONS of fun. One of may favorite students from last year got his schedule changed to be in YBK and has turned out to be an amazing photographer. I am soooo inspired by my YBK students that seem to have a natural gift for photography. It has been great watching them get so excited about being behind the lens. I guarantee the first ever Vista Grand High School Chrysalis will be absolutely amazing!

PHEW!  Well that’s it in a nutshell…  Not sure if anyone was reading this anyway…but here’s your update if you were waiting for one!