It's been a loooong time....

Wow, I haven't written in forever!

Let's see...
I've been an SPU almunus for a little over two weeks now! Commencement and all the events leading up to it were wonderful. And it didn't rain - yay!! My family arrived the Friday before graduation and left on Tuesday, the 12th. We had lots of fun hanging out in Seattle and surrounding areas. We went to the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls for dinner after graduation, so it was nice for them to get to see some countryside outside of the city. We also went down to the Tacoma Glass Museum, where we got to see lots of works by Chihuly and other artists. And of course, we went to the Space Needle, original Starbucks, Tillicum Village on Blake Island, and the Market. The weather really cooperated, but they did get one good rainy Seattle day.

I'm all moved into my new house. I'm still working on getting wireless internet, though. My housemates are great, though none of use are around much. It's much quieter in the neighborhood, which makes sleeping a little more easier, even though four years at SPU got me used to busy traffic and city sounds at night.

Wednesday the 21st was the last day of school for Seattle Public Schools, so I spent the day with my 2nd graders. It was interesting to see the last day of school! I wrote each one of my students a card, telling them what I will always remember about them and that they are going to do very well in third grade. I know that I will see many of them around, as I now live very close to their school. I also plan on keeping tabs on a few of them. Still, it was hard to say farewell to my very first class!

I'm babysitting tonight. The kids are sleeping the basement because it's been so hot out lately. Only businesses in Seattle actually invest in air conditioning, since the hottest it has ever gotten here was 100 degrees, and that was a long time ago. We also don't have hardly any humidity, so buying AC doesn't make any sense. To tell you the truth, I kind of like the hot, sticky nights. It reminds me of when I was little and we didn't have AC. It also reminds me of camp :)

Speaking of camp, I've been missing Cran-Hill a lot lately. I mostly miss my dear best friend, to be honest. But last night I did look up at the few stars I could see through the light pollution, and I got really homesick for camp and stargazing every night. The most amazing stargazing ever!! I need to start looking for plane tickets to MI for August. I need to visit before Christmas!

I plan on reading tons again this summer. Pastor Dan emailed me his reading list. I printed it out last night, and it is TEN pages long! It dates back to 1996!! I first checked off all the books I have already read. Next I crossed off the books that I don't really plan on reading, such as books about pastoral care, men's devotionals, books about writing sermons, and the many commentaries he used while writing his sermons. It is a comfort,though, to know that my pastor is well-read and commits to much study and research while writing sermons. It's good to know that Pastor Dan isn't some guy they just got off the street!

Um, not much else going on right now, I don't think. I'm waiting to hear back about a job with Pottery Barn Kids. I should hear from them tomorrow. I need to finish apps for teaching jobs for this fall, as well as fill out all the paperwork for signing up to sub at various districts, if I don't get a job. Lots of paperwork these days...

My dear friend Karin is turning 30 on Canada Day (July 1)and she is kind of freaking out. It's cute :) Tonight I made her a coupon for a Day Out With Val for the next time she's in Seattle or I'm in Nor Cal. I wrote on the bottom of the coupon that the offer expires when she actually LOOKS 30 :)She's such a dear friend and it's really hard to believe that we've been friends for six years already! Time sure does fly!!

Off to work on the graduation thank you cards....
I'll try to better at posting, although it may be sporatic until I get wireless at home.

Shalom, friends.