Two Morrows

I am going to have to do my summer blogging in installments. What an amazing summer we had! Lendrum started medical school last month, so it was nice to take some fun trips before the crazy began. Our first stop on our travel plan: California, of course! We loved spending the week with my parents. They spoiled us!! Obviously, we hit up In-N-Out (*cue California stereotype) on the way home from the airport. Mmm! It can't be beat.

One of our favorite and most memorable adventures was gong to the Dodgers/Mets game at Dodgers Stadium. We took the train from Pasadena to Olvera Street, where we did some shopping and had a legitimate Mexican meal. Then, we boarded the bus that took us to the stadium. Lendrum now has another baseball stadium to check off his list, which he was thrilled about. We met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin and his fiancee (congrats Craig and Kenzie!). We had a lovely night at the ballpark with a stunning sunset over the LA hills. My dad pulled for the Mets and managed to make a few friends will fellow Mets fans. When it was time for the ride back to the train station, we arrived at the bus line to realize that it was extremely long. I am not exaggerating when I say we waited in line for the busses for an hour after the game ended. By the time we got back to the train station, it was about midnight and we still had a train ride back to Pasadena and then a drive home to Murrieta. We we good sports about it, for the most part. But what an exhausting day! We didn't get back from LA until about 2am. My parents deserve major props for their late-night-party factor there.

How can I forget about the killer sting rays?? We went kayaking in Carlsbad with the folks and had quite an adventure. We thought we saw fins out toward the end of the bay. Sharks? Dolphins? Fish? None of the above. There was a group (school? herd? family?) of stingrays that were hanging out in the shallow end of the bay. I love sealife, so I wanted to get closer and take a look. Apparently, these stingrays do not like being bothered. With only a few inches of water beneath us, they started splashing their fins and darting under our kayaks! WE FREAKED OUT. Let me rephrase, My mom screamed. I screamed. My dad screamed. Lendrum screamed. They were out of control. It almost seemed like they were attacking us. All of a sudden, we'd see one pop out and smack his fins on the side of our kayak. We paddled away quickly and let them be. This wouldn't be our last encounter with stingrays this summer (see future post re: Belize).

Other honorable mentions: We watched a cheetah run 70 miles per hour at the San Diego Safari Park. We also saw lions, gorillas, giraffes, CA condors, and lots of other animals. Lendrum and I spent a day at Disneyland just the two of us. Lendrum did not get sick and we got Dole Whips, so basically, the perfect day. We had a picnic on the beach in beautiful La Jolla, but were disappointed with the cloudy weather. I didn't even really get in the water. I guess I've been spoiled with the warm SC waters. But I just loved spending a whole week with my parents! Living out here in Charleston, I don't get to see them as often as I'd like. I am grateful we were able to take this trip and have a memorable week. Until next time, California!

All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ? Yes, please!!

Because, who wouldn't love watching baby gorillas?

Cousin bonding at the Dodgers game!

If you have never had one of these, go to Disneyland RIGHT NOW.

First meal of choice? Obvious.

Our attempts at a smile after getting off the train at 1am and still an hour to go.

Spring at Hogwarts

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Fall Happenings

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Ah, its Thanksgiving break, which means a week in California with my family and a little free time to write down what we've been up to lately. The answer is A LOT. In the past six weeks, I ended one job, started a new one, traveled to North Carolina and Tennessee, moved into a new apartment, and hopped on a plane to California.

I'll start with my job. When I first moved to Charleston, I had a difficult time finding a teaching position in Mt. Pleasant. So, I took on a fifth grade long term substitute position at a school in Goose Creek. This was a thirty minute commute each way and did not guarantee a secure position once my time was up. I kept checking for openings in Mt. P and sure enough, a fourth grade position was posted about six weeks into my time as a sub. The job was at Charles Pinckney Elementary, which happens to be 5 minutes from the apartment complex we just signed to live. This would be the PERFECT job! I applied for the job and got an interview! Before my interview, however, I came down with laryngitis and could not speak. It was awful. I had to whisper my whole interview. Oh I was sure I wasn't getting the job. I promise it was the worst interview of my life. But I guess it was meant to be because I was offered the job a few days later!

Now I was faced with two very stressful tasks. First, plan out the next few weeks for the new sub who would be taking my place at Marrington. Second, set up my new classroom, learn fourth grade curriculum, and start creating lesson plans for my new job at Pinckney. I was hired because there were too many students per teacher and they needed to add a SIXTEENTH teacher to the fourth grade team. Yes, you heard me correctly, I am fourth grade teacher number sixteen. I started out with only fifteen students and am now up to ninteen. I am loving the challenges that come from uniting a class where all my students come from different classes and places in the curriculum. It has been very difficult but I am grateful to have this job.

I SPY: Mrs. Morrow, the kid from UP, and a kid having a bad day

Mug shot

I took a long weekend to go to the Smoky Mountains and see the fall colors! We were spoiled with some beautiful mountains and canyons in Utah and got used to enjoying the colors of the leaves changing every year. We loved being able to do some fun hikes and seeing some breathtaking views on our trip. We have so much fun exploring!

We have been so lucky to have had the chance to stay with Stephanie here in Charleston. I loved getting to know the Morrow family better and being able to save some money. What an amazing family. Last month, we finally moved into our own place. Definitely bitter sweet. While we miss the fam, we are loving having our own space. We have been taking advantage of the mom swap and have been able to get amazing deals on some good quality used furniture. It's been fun to get our apartment all set up. We feel very hashtag blessed.

One last story. What are the chances that one of my students is on the same flight as me to Orange County?! It gets crazier. What are the chances he is sitting in the same ROW as me?? So crazy that this happened yesterday! So fun.