After 15 years of California Department of Fish & Game (well it's now Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, not to be confused with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service...smart move DFG!), RT has decided to move on. All I have to say to that is, hallelujah!

The ocean is a scary and daunting thing for a child, even though we walk along the beach regularly. It hasn't been until this time where P has actually ventured into the ocean. Maybe because this year we've been enrolled in swimming lessons for a consecutive 9 months now rather than just 3 months during the summers (yes, quite a commitment considering the drive is 40 one way to Arroyo Grande!). Maybe because her new friend Charlotte was with her to give her confidence. Who knows? All I know is that it was mighty cold and overcast, not the best day to take a dip in the ocean, but once she got a taste for it, she was hooked! We were at Avila Beach, where it's usually sunny and warmer compared to Morro Bay or Pismo, but the sun never came out!

P had the best birthday surprise, and even better for me, I did not have to arrange any kind of birthday bash. My kind of party planning! My former colleague and good friend, Marta, and her daughter Jeweleanna came over to the coast with a couple of their horses, boarded them at a nearby facility, and took us out to the beach for some horseback ridin'!

Happy Birthday to our little girl who is growing up too fast! Low-key birthday celebration this year with just her buddy, Bode and family, the night before with Pizza Port and cake afterwards. There are lots of things to reflect upon this past year with P and her developmental milestones. 

The most impressionable personality trait that came through loud and clear was her strong-will. There are some things where once she made up her mind, there was no swaying her. She's so fiercely independent in that. She's her own person and doesn't back down from what she believes. At times this has been so frustrating (and for someone who's a control freak, to some degree), it has been a lesson for all of us.

I am officially hired as a substitute teacher with SLO Coastal Unified. What??? I still have my “day job” working for The Land Conservancy, but I am slowly getting my feet wet again with teaching.

It’s been 5 years since I set foot in a classroom, so why the sudden change of heart? Well, lots of reasons, really. First of all, having a child without family close by and not being a stay-at-home-mom makes it difficult to juggle a work schedule. Now that our child is approaching school-age and witnessing a colleague at work trying to juggle her schedule with her children’s school schedule and a newborn, it seems to make more sense for me to go back to teaching and be on the same schedule as P. Ideally, I’d love to be able to teach at the same school where she is attending or vice versa.

This year, we were able to draw out Halloween a little longer with opportunities for P to wear her costume multiple times. Thank goodness so all my efforts to make the tutu, the headband, and hunt for all the right purple gear from the leotard, the tights, right down to the shoes, got a lot of mileage!

The first two events were the Halloween parade at her preschool. They did this two days in a row (for parents whose kids come only on certain days, they have to make sure they include everyone). Total pain for parents and complete distraction, but whatever, they're still little and it's not like they justify what standard they're addressing!! The fun part was definitely watching all the kids strut their stuff in their cute little costumes. Then each glass gave a little performance in front of the parents.

We went to Avila Valley Barn without costumes this year. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision and just because her buddy Bode wanted to show her the cool hay bale maze. That was actually my first time in a hay maze. Let's just say that I'm glad Bode knew where he was going because I wouldn't have liked trying to find my way out of there!

The time has finally come to make my girl's dreams come true. Over a year ago, we happened upon a documentary First Position which chronicled a number of children's journey to make it to a professional ballet company. The funny thing is that she was only two at the time, but was so engrossed in the movie and asked to see it again a few times. I'm not sure if that was the start of her interest in ballet, or if it comes innately with little girls at this age.