Shoe Shopping

I LOVE shoes. Not like Imelda Marcos loved shoes, but I really do like comfortable new shoes. I bought 3 pairs of Clark's today. I LOVE Clark's and Ecco's. They are finally making some cute shoes that don't look orthopedic! So, I have a pair of cute sandals that I can wear with a skirt or pants, some platform wedge shoes for jeans and such, and a pair of flat slip-on black sandals like the little black dress...something every wardrobe must have.

Now before you think I am nuts, 2 of the three pairs will replace sandals from 2 years ago that are now stretched out and pretty much unusable. So really, I just bought one pair of frivilous shoes. This is simple Katie logic.

Remember back in the 70's when we wore those cork platform shoes? I vividly remember a pair I owned...I thought they were awesome. As I recall the tops were navy "pleather" and I thought I looked great. Then there was the pair of wedge-heeled rubber "thongs" (remember in the 70's no underwear was called a thong!). Those were "oh so cool!" They were rainbow striped. So now I have a brown suede pair that are very comfy and frankly the extra 4" better make me look "thinner." You know, legs and all...

So you ask, how can a retired teacher afford 3 pairs of shoes? Well, I've been working my tush off these last 2 1/2 months. It seems like the least I could do for myself. A better choice than eating out over and over. Oh, and I got 2 of them on sale :)-

Brave Danny!

One glorious, San Diego day, Jay and Heidi took Danny on a great adventure. Danny and bravery aren't exactly synonymous, but I suppose if my legs were only 4 inches long, I might be hesitant to forge streams, scale rocks, and dig through mud and muck! Apparently it took some coaxing to get him into the raging river (aka stream), but once there he had a good time.

Mission Trails is a beautiful protected area once inhabited by our local Kumeyaay Indians. Today, people hike, bike, picnic, and run on the many trails. There is still evidence of Kumeyaay grinding stones by the river's edge, as well as an occasional arrowhead or other native survival tool. Think of Danny as a little "Hunter."

Danny Boy is always up for a Sunday adventure with his owners/parents. He is happy to participate in all activities as long as he is not left home alone penned up in the kitchen!

Some Boys Never Grow UP

While in Sacramento, Dan and I had a great lunch on the Sacramento River in what is known as "Old Sac" and then headed for the Train Museum. If you have never been here, it is AWESOME! If you are a 3rd or 4th grade teacher in California it is a must see. The museum is huge and broken into 3 basic sections.

The first part is about the history and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Big 4. There are many artifacts and photos from the 1800s. Some of it is like a wax museum. There are actual and replica engines and cars from the period. What they had to work with to build the railroad is just mind-boggling.

In the next section you see the history of railroad cars and engines. There are dozens of these huge locomotives! The museum is actually built on an old "turnabout". When they have events in the museum, they just move the cars out on the tracks and then bring them in later that night.

A few of the cars you can actually walk through. A sleeping car from the early 1930s is set up to actually shake and move as it

would be if it was really riding the rails. Boy, did it look uncomfortable. No such thing as a memory foam mattress~I think they said it was horse hair!

Then there was a dining car set up with all the different china selections for the different rails. Beautiful stuff. One of the California lines had china with the California Poppy on it. There was also a mail car where mail was sorted as it went across the country. Amazing technology for the time.

The last section of the museum is for the BIG BOYS as well as little tykes. It is a play area full of all kinds of toy trains. There are also deluxe model cities constructed behind glass that move and shelves and shelves of model cars. Dan found many that he had as a kid! Does any of this remind you of your youth? Dan was fascinated by this place and I liked it even though I had been through it several years before. This was a fun little get-away weekend.

The next day Dan hung out at the Hyatt while I presented at the state Gifted Conference. I presented on "Celebrating a Mosaic of Diversity through Multicultural Literature." It was well attended and I got some good feedback for future sessions. The program supported the book I wrote a year ago. We came home on Sunday and while in the airport found a clever disguise for a pillar! Check it out :)

March~ Sacramento

March was busy with more consulting work. I spoke in Sacramento at the state gifted conference. Dan and I went together and spent a Friday at the capitol. Arnold was not in session, but we got to go in and see the Senate and Assembly houses. The gardens were lovely, but alas, no cigar tent was in sight either! It is really quite fancy in there and spectators are allowed to view from the balconies above. The place is huge. Check out the inside of the domed area! They also have a wonderful museum that has recreated some of the original offices of governor's from that past 100+ years.

I am standing next to "Bacteria Bear." This is a huge bronze bear outside to governor's office that thousands of school children pose by. As you know this has been a horrid year for the N1H1 Flu Virus and you can just

imagine, dirty, snotty, little hands touching this thing!! Notice my shirt sleeve is touching the bear~ not my hand!

February- A Time of Sadness

February started out good as it was a time to continue building my consulting life. I went to 4 new schools and had several follow-up sessions with established schools. I also got to substitute at my old school site which I just love doing! I was at the school long enough to build relationships with parents, children and a wonderful group of teachers. They are like family and there is a part of me that really misses them. So, I just love it when someone calls me to substitute. This was the best of February...

Mom passed away on February 16th. Margey, Beth, and I were able to be with mom as she passed away. While it was very difficult, it was also a peaceful passing. For those of you who didn't know, she had bladder cancer as well as the Alzheimer and it was the cancer that finally

took her life.

Brian flew out for the service as well as my cousin Paul and of course Emma came home from school. Other family and relatives were

unable to travel so far do to health or work related issues. It was a small service, but most of mom and dad's friends were unable to travel or had already passed away. Very different from 8 years

ago when dad passed away.

Pall bearers were Jay, Brian, Joey, Tom, Dan, and cousin Paul. Emma and Cayce played music and sang during the service and Brian spoke at the grave site. Margey read words from each of the daughters during the service. It was a beautiful service and a wonderful ending to her life.

Mom is buried at the National Cemetery in Riverside California along with Dad. May they both

rest in peace for eternity!

January- Happy New Year

Can you believe it is 2010! Our first decade in this new century. I spent much of this month working with the school district training a group of 30 teachers in the area of gifted and talented education (GATE). These teachers were all kindergarten through 2nd grade instructors. These trainings allowed the teachers to get a certificate in GATE Nurturing. I also had several other "jobs" presenting at Parent Nights, our local GATE conference, and middle school humanities training.

I also began my position as secretary on our church council. I know, you'll laugh at my being a secretary with my incredible spelling capabilities, but I am enjoying the position.

Basically I worked 14 of the 20 days so it didn't really feel like "retirement."

She's Back!

Well after a three month vacation, I think I am back on track and ready to blog once again. So I think I'll just summarize by month until we are caught up.

Katir