Well, a lot has been happening here!  Sorry it took so long for me to update the page, but I have been busy with my new job!  I am now working at a local elementary school as a Para-Educator in a classroom for developmentally delayed children.  I work with kids with Autism, Down's Syndrome, and other disabilities.  Most of the time, I work with one little boy with high-functioning Autism.  He is in a mainstream classroom most of the day, and I am with him.  I modify his curriculum and work with the other teachers to make sure he is in the best environment possible.  I also work a lot with our class's other mainstream kids.  It is a really challenging job, but also very rewarding.  I love working with the little kids - I don't know why I ever wanted to work with high school aged kids, because this is much better!

 

The rainy season has begun here, and it is colder than we expected.  We have had to purchase some winter friendly clothes - more long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, fleece pullovers, gloves, and beanies!  I even had to buy a new jacket because all of my "CA jackets" were not even coming close to keeping me warm at recess, lunch, and PE classes with the kids at my school.  However, Fall was beautiful here.  I think it is now my favorite time of year - probably because it is similar to a CA winter, which was always my favorite before.  The trees changed color and in some areas with lots of trees, it was just breathtaking.  We have never really seen trees change colors, so it was a new experience that we really enjoyed.

 

We are making a lot of new friends.  On Friday night, we went to a friend’s house, had pizza, and played games with their whole family.  It was a lot of fun and we hope to do it again in the future.  We are also going into Seattle the night before Thanksgiving with some other couples to see a play.  It should be a lot of fun.  We are planning to spend Thanksgiving with Andy and Chele Schmidt, and possibly some other young married couples.  It will be our first Thanksgiving without family, so we'll see how it goes.  I have successfully cooked a Turkey dinner before, so hopefully I can duplicate it for our guests.  

 

We love our new ward, and have been called as ward missionaries.  We've been having a fun time going out with the full-time missionaries and meeting new people.  We are also teaching a Sunday School class on being member missionaries.  Brian wrote the curriculum himself, and it turned out great.  We teach together every week, and have been getting a lot of positive feedback.  This Friday night is our ward's Relief Society Friday Fling, and I am going to go to it with some friends.  We will be making hygiene kits for people in need, doing some crafts, eating, talking, and having fun without men or kids. 

 

We didn't do too much for Halloween - we carved pumpkins and handed out candy to the neighborhood kids that stopped by.  We really missed seeing Alyssa, Brooke, and Bobby all dressed up in their costumes, but my wonderful sister-in-laws, Kim and Jenny, sent me pictures and they looked adorable!  Alyssa was a Medieval Queen, Brooke was a Cowgirl, and Bobby was Thomas Train. 

 

Speaking of the nieces and nephew, we had a new little guy added to the family on Tuesday, November 8th!  Kevin and Kim had a little boy named Drew Aaron.  He was born around 11 pm, and weighed in at 9 pounds 1 ounce. He is a handsome little guy with a head full of dark hair.  Alyssa and Brooke were so excited about Drew that they made t-shirts with their Aunt Jenny saying "I'm the sister," and "I love my my baby brother."  Brian and I are excited about little Drew and can't wait to see and hold him when we go to CA for Christmas!  Congratulations to Kevin, Kim, Alysssa, and Brooke on the newest member of their family!

 

Unfortunately, I was in a car accident on October 13th.  I was driving home from work on a small, narrow highway by our house, and was hit head on.  Fortunately, it was not my fault.  The Civic was completely totaled, but kept me safe from major harm.  I was taken to the hospital to be checked out because I lost consciousness and had back and neck pain.  I am doing much better now, am back to work, and in physical therapy.  The person who caused the accident was uninsured and unemployed, but our insurance company has been great.  We received the money for the Civic quickly (more than we anticipated), and bought a 2002 Honda Accord EX with a V6 engine.  It is silver with leather interior, a sunroof, and rides very smooth because of the larger engine.  Sometimes when I drive it I feel like I am in a luxury car!  We have not settled on the pain and suffering portion of the claim yet, but are waiting until I am completely better and all the medical stuff is taken care of.

 

I think that's everything for now!  We hope you all are doing well!