Going Back to School

Wednesday is my official first day back at school. I am excited to meet my new group of kids. Kindergarten students are so precious and cute. They come in so young and inexperienced and leave reading and writing and ready for first grade. At the beginning of every school year, when I do my first assessments, I am always shocked at how little many of my kids know. It is not that they aren't smart. They are. It's just that they weren't taught anything. When I say anything, I mean the colors, how to write their name, numbers 0-5, or any letters. Although they have such a long road to go, most, if not all kids make incredible progress. It is really unbelievable. I always think of how far I could have taken them, if they had come in knowing some basic skills. This is my first year teaching full-day kindergarten. All though the kids will be with me much longer than with half-day kinder, they will be missing out on my partner teacher Laura. Now she is in a room across campus with her own full-day class. I truly believe two teachers with twenty-five kids at a time, is a much better ratio, and you can teach so much more, than one teacher with twenty-five students all day. I have a lot to do to get ready for Monday. Of course the first days back are planned full of meetings and professional development. All I want to do is work in my classroom. I am going to go in tomorrow to get a head start. Goodbye summer.

We're Back

Dominick and I had an amazing time in Cancun. We stayed at the Sun Palace. It is a beautiful, all-inclusive resort that is so worth it. We highly recommend this resort and also the Aventura Spa Palace. Both are owned by Palace Resorts. Hopefully next spring we can plan a family vacation to one of these two resorts, or the Moon Palace if kids come too. I think everyone would enjoy it. Start thinking about joining us. I'll get more info and details...

We just spent a wonderful weekend with my mom and dad in Santa Barbara. We stayed at the Blue Dolphin Inn in Cambria on Moonstone Beach. It was beautiful and our rooms were really nice. It was freezing outside. We tried walking on the beach when we arrived but were so cold we had to cut our walk short. On Friday, we went to the Super Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara, and after standing in line for almost forty-five minutes just to order, we were disappointed with the food. Bummer. We went to the SB Mission, and it was beautiful. On Saturday we took a walk on Moonstone beach, then we walked around Cayucos, then ate a good lunch in Morro Bay. The highlight was going to Hearst Castle. Dominick and I went on a small tour that led us to the top floors of the castle along with William Hearst's library and bedroom. Pretty spectacular. My parents were treated like VIPs. While Dominick and I were carried up the hill in a school bus, my parents were in a smaller air-conditioned vehicle with only two other people. They were transported around the grounds on a golf cart and were given a deluxe tour of the kitchen, the gardens, and the guest house. They even had their own tour guide. This was because they were on tour #6, the handicapped tour. We saw them once and they just smiled and waved as they climbed into their golf cart. We ate dinner in Cambria and went to Linn's pie shop for dessert. Delicious. Today (Sunday), we slept in and then packed up and drove home. We had a great weekend and are so glad we had the opportunity to go with my parents. They are really fun to hang out with.

We are getting ready to go...

Tomorrow morning we fly to Cancun where we will spend the whole week relaxing, and enjoying good food. Of course, I will do my best to stick to my plan. The hardest part is the variety. Because it is an all-inclusive resort, I can choose to eat whatever I want , whenever I want, however much I want. It is difficult for a food person like myself because I like to taste everything then decide what I liked best and order more of that particular food. I am going to try not to stress out about my eating, but just enjoy myself (within limits). I wish everyone could go with us to this resort. Our whole family would have such an awesome time. It is beautiful. The beaches and the ocean are exquisite. The ocean is turquoise and warm and the resort is clean with great customer service. Maybe we can plan a trip next spring. Everyone start saving up!

It's in the genes

Today my mom and I went to Kimberly's house for lunch. She definitely has the Fuentes taste buds and knack for cooking delicious foods. She made us salmon, which she broiled perfectly after flavoring it with creole seasoning, pepper, and olive oil infused with grapefruit juice. It was delicious! I have never been able to make fish at home that isn't fishy, or overcooked. I love fish, but always wait for Dominick to take me out to a nice seafood restaurant. Kim has made me want to go buy salmon and try it at home. I want to duplicate her exact recipe. It was so good! Not only did we have the salmon, but she also made a quite tasty quinoa salad with halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro, pine nuts, and green onions. She tossed it with a grapefruit vinegrette that was very yummy. The quinoa is considered a "perfect" food because of its high protein content. Quinia tastes kind of like couscous but is even tastier. You make it like any grain. Make sure you rinse the quinoa before you cook it. I've made the mistake of not rinsing before cooking, and it can have a pretty bitter taste. Kimberly made the quinoa in her rice cooker and it was perfect. Great idea. I've always cooked mine on the stove. If you haven't tried quinoa before, I highly recommend it. Thanks Kimberly!

Salad and Salad

How delicious is salad?! Today I went to Surf Brothers Teriyaki for lunch. I love their simple menu. You have three choices. 2 teriyaki chicken skewers, 2 teriyaki steak skewers, or one of each. Your meal is served with a cabbage salad, and brown or white rice. Simple and delicious. I had the light bite meal (one skewer) with double salad and no rice. It was so good. The chicken is marinated and grilled and tastes just right with the cabbage salad. The salad needs a little teriyaki sauce and a tiny bit of soy sauce to have perfect flavoring. I ate every bite and was satisfied. For dinner I made a salad with lots of yellow cherry tomatoes, avocado, and leftover tri-tip. It was even better than my lunch salad. There is something about avocado. It adds such a creaminess and flavor to salad. I love it!

Days Later

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I was enjoying my time with Alyssa and Josh. It was so nice that they surprised us with a visit. Dominick and I are getting ready for our vacation in Cancun. We will be gone for a week and are so looking forward to it. My eating has been pretty good. I have been on my plan since July 6th. I do feel better and have more energy. The scale does not seem to be budging but my clothes feel a little better.

Best Recipe!

Yesterday's interview went well. Thank you so much for praying. The Lord really gave me a peace and I was able to answer the questions completely and with clarity. I felt really good afterward knowing that I did my best. I did feel unqualified when it came to the technology portion of the interview. The principal called me today to say that I was not going to be offered the job. She was very nice and complimentary of me and said I was a very strong candidate. She said she was looking for someone with a strong technology background to fill the fifth grade position. I'm so glad she called me today and didn't make me wait to find out. I know the Lord is in control of this situation and will work everything out.

I made the most amazing discovery today. You know how sometimes you can get sick of adding protein to every meal and snack? I know I do. Sometimes I just can't eat any more chicken, ham, turkey, hard-boiled eggs etc. and just want to eat a big strawberry salad or another delicious salad by itself. I found the solution! Add Greek yogurt and feta cheese to your salad dressing! Tonight I made a huge salad for myself. I added romaine, tomato, cucumber, and kidney beans. Then, for the dressing I put at least 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, a couple tablespoons of feta, lots of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. I mixed it all up and poured it over my salad. It was thick and creamy and so so good. It was kind of like a creamy Italian, but way better. You have to try it. I'm serious. It was delicious! With the kidney beans and dressing, there were 24 grams of protein in the salad. That is like having a whole chicken breast. Please let me know what you think.