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I found this contest on Facebook where you vote for your school to receive 500,000 dollars from Khols! Here is the link to vote!!!!

Jillian - the newest edition to the family

There are many reasons to come home for the summer. I get to see family and friends who I don't usually get to see. I get to experience many familiarities from my "growing up" years. And I get to put aside stresses and responsibilities for a month and be able to just "be". This summer, while enjoying all the above benefits of being back in RP, I have decided to take this time off to "get in shape".

Another "kickback" of being at home is that I get to experience and take part in first hand whatever healthy/diet/exercise plan my mom is currently going through. I think we have both finally found something that works. My mom is currently using meal plans created by TV's Jillian Michaels. Not only is the food good for you but it tastes good too! It is all light, fresh and delicious. I have also been working out everyday as well. And I feel great! I have decided to not weigh myself, which I think it doing wonders for my self-esteem. I have noticed a slight difference in the way I look, though not too much, yet! Like I said before though, I FEEL great!

Jillian even has her own dessert recipes! Before going to my friends Brian and Stephanie's house last night for dinner, I decided to try out Jillian's brownie recipe. Her recipe uses honey instead of sugar and applesause and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. They came out super light and fluffy. They tasted more "cakey" then "brownie-ey". Part of that may be because instead of baking them in a 8x8 pan I did my usual where I bake them in a mini muffin pan, so you get individual brownies! There wasn't a lot of "chocolatey" flavor to them and I could still taste the applesause a bit, but that should be an easy fix. Next time I will use less applesauce and more cocoa power! Yum yum!

out with the old, in with the new and then back again

As of yesterday I have officially lived in Hawai'i for two years. Yes! Two years! It seems like more than that I must admit. So what did I do to celebrate being a "kama'aina" for two full years now? I got a new phone number! Yes, I decided to due away with the old and bring on the new. I am no longer a part of the 707 crowd but am now with the 808 nation!

After being away for two years I find myself, in a way, coming full circle to where I left off. Well, when it comes to work anyway. My first and only year of teaching in California I taught first grade and it was wonderful. After two years of teaching Kindergarten I will be going back this next year to teaching first grade. Yay me! Not only that but I will be teaching my Kindergarteners from last year! They are a wonderful class and we have so much fun together. For the most part they are pretty well behaved, so I have totally lucked out!