my birthday

It was my birthday on Friday and my friends and boyfriend took me to Red Robin. It is a tradition for us to go there for birthdays. We all meet there and we make the birthday girl/boy wear something ridiculous and they made me wear this stupid headband thing that had like antler this lol. I really didn't want to wear them but they made me and of course i looked retarded but like I said it tradition. Red Robin was really good (like always, I would really recommend going there if you have not been) and we had a ton of fun. Afterward we would normally all go to Starbucks but when it was time to leave my friends said that they could not go with me. It made me really sad that they had to leave so early but my boyfriend, Cory, told me that me and him were still gonna go. So we all left and Cory and I went to get Starbucks. It was cold out and I just wanted to go through a drive-thru but he insisted on going inside so I said fine and we went in. He took a long time to decide what he wanted and seemed to be taking forever but we finally left and we were going to go back to his house but his mom called and asked if he could pick up some stuff from Staters. So we went to Staters and it took FOREVER because he was messing around and we couldn't find what she wanted. We finally checked out and got in his truck and made it back to his house and when I walked inside I heard a big surprise and the house was all decorated and my friends were there =D I really had no idea but it made sense after why Cory was taking so long. I had an amazing birthday thanks to them!

Thanksgiving is this Thursday so I figured I would talk about that. This year we are all going over to my aunt Carla's house and eating turkey and ham and everything that goes with. Normally it would just be my mom's side of the family and then my dad's side would just come by for pie a little bit later but this year it is a little different. My uncle and aunt and two cousins are still going to drop by later for pie but my grandma is going to come over and eat with us. Now that my uncle Dave is gone its has been extremely hard on here. Especially with the holidays right around the corner. So we invited her over to come eat with us so she decided she would come. Normally on Thanksgiving I would be most excited about the food and say a few things I am thankful for and that would be it. However, this year is a little different I'm not as excited because i know how painfully it is for her and my dad. This year I realized I have a lot more to be thankful for then I ever realized. I am thankful for my family and how I know they will always be there for me in time of need like they have been for my grandma and dad. They have been very supportive and it really made me realize how truly amazing they are. Overall though I am thankful for my life and I know it can be taken away at any minute and to enjoy it while you have it. I see myself getting happy over simpler things and really appreciating everything I have and do. So this Thanksgiving really think about how lucky you are and be thankful. =D

This past weekend my uncle Dave passed away. It was really hard on my whole family, especially my grandma. She lives in a big house out in Yucipa and has 5 acres and has horses and my unlce Dave lived with her and really helped her keep up the ranch. Now that he is gone she is all alone in that big house with a ton of work that has to be done. My whole family has really stepped up and tried to help but it has been really hard to adjust. But back to my unlce. He was born with a rare disease, which i can't ever remember the name, but it causes you to have too much iron in your body which then attacks your organs. It can also affect the brain and it caused him to be very short. My dad and other uncle Dan, Dave's brothers, towered over him. They are both about 6ft tall and he was only about 5'2". They doctors didn't know what he had until recently when he got sick and they looked more into his disease.. It was hard for him growing up but he dealt with it. The thing that is a miracle is that he died at age 47 but the life expectancy for a person with that disease is only in their twenties. The doctors said it had a lot to do with where he lived. I never thought that where you lived could effect you that much. They said sense they lived way out there and they were sort of by themselves it helped him. It is also colder out there which kept disease away which was good because he had a weak immune system. This was a very hard weekend but it got me thinking about how living somewhere could truely have a great impact on your life like it did on his. Just a thought.

home is where the heart is

This past Friday I went to my high schools football game. My mom told me I had to take my brother and his friend and my boyfriends parents always go to the games because his sister is in cheer, so we decided to just go. It was my friend Corrina, my boyfriend Cory, and me. It was a really big game because they were playing their cross town rivals RHS, Redlands High School, but luckily Cory's parents were saving us seats.

It took forever to find parking but once we finally did we started walking toward the stadium. Corrina and I were laughing at ourselves because when we were seniors we always made fun of people who had graduated and came back to the games and now we were those people. As we walked in my brother and his friend went there own way and we ended up seeing a ton of other people we graduated with. It was really fun seeing all of our old friends and it made me realize how much i missed them. We finally made it too our seats and the game started. We found ourselves yelling and cheering just like when we were students there. The whole game we were all talking about all of our memories from Friday night football games. It ended up being a lot of fun! The final score was 14-12; REV won! =D Being back at the game made me really miss high school; well at least that part of it. It brought back so many memories and I felt like I was home again being there. I never realized how big apart of me that school is and even though I have moved on with my life it will always be a part of me.

When thinking about what to write about my city I realized that there really was much to say. I tried to look up the history and the only thing remotely interesting, while sort of disappointing, was that Highland also refers to a geographical area of the City of San Bernardino (generally north of Highland Avenue and east of Del Rosa Avenue to the eastern city limits). So really my "city" is more of an area! It was actually funny to read that. When I asked my mom for ideas she told me that I spent most of my time in our neighboring city Redlands and to talk about something there instead. So after thinking a little I decided that; yeah that was where I spent most of time. That’s where I play and now coach soccer, where I went to middle school and high school. Redlands has always been known for its oranges and every year on the front of our yearbooks would be pictures of oranges or orange trees. Redlands was the first city to have center medians with trees or gardens in between roads and Redlands is still regarded as the "Jewel of the Inland Empire." I have never heard it referred to as that but when I look on Wikipedia that is what it said. I also found out that its approximate population is around 72,008 people. Some famous residents are Landon Donovan, a professional soccer player for Galaxy; Neal T. Baker, founder of Baker’s Drive Thru (which I thought was cool because I love Bakers); Patrick Johnson, a professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens; Josh Whitesell, a professional baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks; and Dave Stockton, a professional golfer; just to name a few. These are just a few things I found out when looking up Redlands but I was fun to learn more about it.

My Soccer Girls <3

So as i mentioned before I am an assistant coach for a girls U12 soccer team. We are a light purple color and our name is the Crazy Coyotes! The are the best bunch of girls and I love working with them. All season they have been working so hard at practice but we have lost EVERY game...until this weekend! They finally won!!! They were so happy and it really made my day. =) It made me happy to see all there hard work pay off.

I want to be a teacher in the future and coaching this team has really made me realize how perfect that job will be. The girls always come to me when they have questions or are feeling down about themselves as a player and I love being able to help them and make them feel better. Working with them on their soccer skills and teaching them new tricks or moves is the best feeling. I love watching them play and seeing their passion for the game. They have all grow and improved so much as a team and I'm so proud of them.

It's funny how I can be having the WORST day ever and all it takes is an hour of practice with that team and I walk away smiling and laughing and feeling so much better. Whether they know it or not, they have helped me become a better teacher and I've learned to be more patient. It is a great experience for me and I'm sad that there is only a few more weeks left.

Where Are You Going?

As of now I am going to Cal State San Bernardino in order to become an elementary school teacher. My grade level I am most interested in teaching is 2nd grade. I really love kids and working with them. It is a really good feeling to have helped make a difference in a childs life. I want to be the person that helps someone understand something and acheive their goals and become successful. I am on the integrated track here and in four years I will be graduating with my B/A in Liberal Studies and my credintials. My hope is to get a teaching job in the Redlands School District. I want to stay in the Inland Empire, at least for a while, and make a living and buy my own home in either Redlands or Highland. Maybe later in life I would want to move but for now I love where a live and it is a great school district to be a part of.

Hey everyone this is my first time doing a blog. I am keeping this blog for my English class and I'm still trying to figure everything out. For my fist blog I figured I would tell you a little about myself. I am from Highland, California and although the summers can get a little too hot and the traffic can get bad, some would even say unbearable, I have learned to love it here. It's only an hour away from the beach and the mountains, which may seem like a long drive to others but for me its not. I love car rides, especially with friends. Driving with the windows down and the music turned way up, singing and laughing all the way, makes our drives seem very short. So for me a hour away is the perfect distance. Some would also say that there is nothing to do in my city and at times this is true but when I'm with my friends we can always mange to find something fun to do, even if we stay home. Whether its swimming in my backyard, going to the movies, going bowling, or just hanging out we always have a good time. I live with my dad, mom, and little brother, Aaron. He is fourteen and we definitely do our share of fighting but in the end I love him. I have an amazing family that means the world to me and I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for them. I have a chihuahua named Pumba who is the most spoiled dog you'll ever meet but I love him anyways. I love playing soccer and I have played sense I was four. Currently I am not playing though but I am the assistant coach for a girls U12 team and I love every minute of it. I used to play softball as well. I started playing that when I was seven but I stopped my junior year of high school. Some other things I love are scarpbooking, going camping, taking pictures, going to the beach, riding horses although I never get to anymore, and hanging out with my friends. So that's a little bit about me.