Where did November go?

I know, I know... I've been a neglectful blogger, but November was just so jam-packed with stuff I couldn't find the time to sit down and write about it all. Here are the important highlights.

Retreat: we spent a long weekend on a small bay on Whidbey Island, full of beautiful nature trails, breathtaking views of the sound, and endless conversation about personality types and communication within our community. It was fun to spend some more time with some JV's I hadn't seen since Orientation (some that I didn't remember at all... oops) and to go deeper with the JV's I already knew. The weekend culminated with a coffee shop/talent show where Sean and I showed off our Styrofoam Snowflake skills with our acoustic rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Lets Get it On" and City High's "What Would You Do." The crowds cheered. It was great.

Team Gresham Represent!

Styrofoam Snowfakes perform "Let Get it On"

Nutrition Classes: Work seemed to fly by this month because I was constantly occupied with all the minute details of making my nutrition classes run smoothly. I had to make a shopping list each week, check it with the instructor, who checked with the curriculum provider, then I made revisions and rechecked everything. I also had to make sure we had enough childcare providers for the 15 rowdy hispanic kids the participants traipsed to each class. I couldn't make it to two of the Saturday classes, so I had to make sure all correct food was purchased and designated as "in class" use or "give away" food, and make sure the Staff person taking over for me knew when to be where and what to do. It was pretty stressful, especially when our Executive Director decided I should be the one to buy all the food. This meant I got to spend $350 each Friday at 4 different grocery stores to try and get enough food for 15 participants to eat in class and take the ingredients home. A little hectic. But so worth it. The classes were a huge hit and participants were so grateful for the opportunity to learn and to hang out with each other :) Now it's onto data processing and report writing... awesome.

Weekend at the Coast: We got to spend one weekend in Lincoln City on the coast hosted by Renata's Godmother at a house she was house sitting for the month of November. It was so nice and relaxing to be in a warm home and hang out on the beach. We went on a long hike that wound it's way out to a rocky bluff that looked out on the ocean and a beach full of sea lions. That night we all fell asleep watching a movie and woke up to fresh baked banana bread and a whole Turkey in the oven being cooked so we could have meet for Sandwiches for our drive home. We drove down to Newport beach and spent a few hours playing and taking pictures on the rainy beach, got some sea food and saltwater taffy in town, and headed home.

On the Cold and Blustery Bluff on our Hike

Newport Beach

Jumping Picture - check out my sweet Karate Kick :)