I Got a Job!

Well, I got the 4th grade part-time job I interviewed for! I found out on July 22nd but thought I would wait to write about it till I knew more. It is now August 4th and I know just as much as I did to start with, very little. It is a job share position which means I will be teaching mornings and the other teacher will be teaching afternoons. I still don't know what subjects I will be teaching but I should find out any day now.
I was very excited when I found out. It is really hard to get into Salem-Keizer school district and now I have my foot in the door. Unfortunately, the excitement quickly turned into other emotions when it finally dawned on me that this would mean Erik and I would only see each other on weekends. We are trying to think about all the positives instead of the negatives. For example, we can still see/talk to each other through skype, elementary schools have lots of days off and holidays, we can get all of our work done during the week and have weekends completely free, I can go to the gym at whatever time I want and have tofu for dinner :)
I am trying to go back to being excited but I can't help feeling nervous too. I am so used to first graders and fourth graders seem so much older and I have no experience with them! I am looking forward for in-service so that I can meet the other teachers at the school and see what my room looks like. Luckily, I have subbed at the school so I know a little bit about the layout and where things are. I really wish that I had a full time permanent job, but at the same time this is a good way to ease into teaching and it will provide me with great experience to get a permanent job next year. I will be on contract, have an ID badge and finally feel like a real teacher!
The biggest downside is that my contract only goes until March 9, so if the other teacher wants to teach full time I will not get to finish the year out with my kiddos. I am really hoping she will like me and want me to stay to finish the whole year, if not it will be back to subbing. Only time will tell.

Oregon Grape Jelly

Last year my mom discovered you could make delicious syrup and jelly out of Oregon Grapes. Yesterday I went over to her house so she could recreate it and teach me how. My mom is a wonderful cook and great at experimenting, however, she rarely writes down what she does. I picked some of our Oregon Grapes and then with the help of David picked a whole lot more at my parents house. We ended up with 12 cups of berries! I was trying to decide if I should keep the recipe secret or if I should share it, but since we don't know the proportions of what my mom did last time, there is no guarantee what we made this year is the same. I decided I would share the basics like in the first graders how-to books.

Oregon Grapes from my house

How To Make Oregon Grape Jelly

You will need: Oregon grapes, water, sugar, food mill, stove, kitchen pot, canning pot, jars, and lids.

Step 1: Pick desired amount of Oregon grapes

12 cups (from my parents and my house)

Step 2: Wash Oregon grapes

Step 3: Put Oregon grapes in a pot with water and boil them until they are fat and have popped.

Step 4: Run Oregon grapes through a food mill to separate juice, pulp, and seeds.
(for some reason the picture insists on uploading sideways even though I have rotated it!?)

Step 5: Take the liquid and pour it back into the pot on the stove

Step 6: Add sugar

Step 7: Bring mixture to a boil

Step 8: Ladle into sterilized hot canning jars and put on sterilized lids

Step 9: Water bath cans for about 10 mins

Your lids should pop and Voila you have Oregon grape jelly or syrup depending on water and sugar ratios. Ours is not 100% solid yet but it is not as runny as syrup either. I am looking forward to trying it!

Kayaking

Female bald eagles. I didn't get a picture of the males

Today Erik and I took the kayaks out on the Willamette River. We dropped in at Independence and then paddled down to Salem. That stretch of the Willamette is very flat and calm which was perfect for me to get used to paddling my own boat. We were expecting the trip to take us a lot longer than it did, but we ended up paddling most of the way with little resting so it took us about two and a half hours. We saw a couple of bald eagles and lots of blue herons. We also ran into our friends Jenny and Bryan who were visiting Bryan's parents and were water skiing. Sometimes I can't believe what a small world it can be. The kayaks worked great! I absolutely love having my own. It is so beautiful and relaxing being out on the water but it is also a great work out. My arms are sore and so is my back. A couple years ago Erik and I rented a double and dropped in in Jefferson and got out in Salem. Next time we go out we are thinking of trying that and doing a longer trip with a little choppier water. I am nervous, as always, but I always enjoy it afterwards. I can't wait till we go out again! At the end of July we are going camping with my family and we will be able to take the kayaks out on the lake. I'll I have to say is that I am so happy that we finally got the kayaks :)

Interviews

My goal this summer was going to the gym (of course) and getting a job. Most school districts are on a website called EdZapp where you create an application with attachments like your letters of recommendation, license, resume, transcripts etc. Unfortunately, it is really hard to stand out on paper like that and this is what the school districts look at to call you for an interview. Last year I only got interviewed at the school that I was student teaching at and it was more of a pity interview because they were not really considering me for the job. This year is harder than ever. Erik has a job that moves him around about every two years. So far we have been lucky both working in the same area. Next year we will not be so lucky. I desperately want a classroom and to be a teacher, but I am trying to decide at what price. Is it worth it to live separate just so that I can have a job that I enjoy? Or should I just sub again and we could move around together? Erik says that I think to far into the future and to try to get a teaching job. So I have applied all over the Salem-area and heard nothing, until now. I first was called for what I thought was a summer school position. I went to the interview all excited but soon was horrified to discover it was a summer school for infants ages 6 months to 3 years that were Spanish speaking. Well I don't know Spanish and I have no experience with infants so I am still wondering why they interviewed me. I had trouble answering their questions because I was so baffled about teaching a pre-preschool.

The other morning I was called again. This time it was more promising. One of our friends teaches at a school in Salem and they have a part time fourth grade and a possibly a full time first grade position open. Connie must have put a good word in for me because the principal called me first to interview for the fourth grade position! (the first grade one still hasn't been posted). I am very excited and nervous because this could be an interview for two potential jobs. I just can't help thinking of what would happen if I did get a job. It is a mixture of so many feelings. For now I need to get my nerves under control so that I can give it my best on Friday.

Grass

In March at school we always make leprechauns. To make these leprechauns you decorate a green plastic cup and grow grass for the hair. This year I was so busy that sometimes I forgot to water the leprechauns and then of course the grass was planted by 6 and 7 year-olds, but I was surprised at how well the grass grew. It came up quickly and was thick and grew tall. How hard can it be planting grass? well lets just say our front yard is not quite as nice as the leprechaun hair but it will be soon (I hope). Erik and I have been working really hard on making our front yard more to our liking. We leveled it and then planted grass.

It looks so much better than before

Although it is still a little patchy...

My Little Garden

Here are more recent pictures of my garden. We are growing: Squash, pumpkins, cucumber, raspberries, tomatoes (cherry and regular), eggplant, peppers (orange and yellow bell), arugula, cilantro, carrots, lettuce, spinach, kale, swiss chard, and potatoes. We also have strawberries, blueberries, huckleberries, and apple trees outside of our little garden. I would like to go to the farmers market and buy some basil. It is pretty magical to watch the seeds grow and know that pretty soon we will be eating these delicious fruits and vegetables!

We already have little green tomatoes!

Vegetables planted by seed

Camping at Elk Lake

Erik and I met two of our friends at Elk Lake to go camping. It is beautiful, however, if you are considering going in June keep in mind:

• make sure you are driving a truck or a vehicle with four wheel drive that you don't mind getting scratched up.
  
• Saying it is a bumpy road is an understatement. Brie this must be similar to your village roads but with less snow.
• Bring plenty of warm clothes because you are at the snow line
• Beware of leeches in the water
• Do not follow the directions on the website!
  
• Don't go on "roads" that don't look like roads.
  

All in all it is a beautiful lake with a pretty nice campground. It takes an experienced or daring driver to get you there. We had a great time paddling in the kayaks and playing cribbage. The weather couldn't have been better! I don't know what I would have done if it was raining or snowing.