Birthday Surprises for Erica

Today is my 25th birthday. I have been alive for a quarter century. Tomorrow is also our first anniversary, so   its a significant week for us.  Its getting late now, we are back from a wonderful birthday dinner in Heber (thank you Mark and Shauna, Dan, Sara, and Tatum!). Alex is getting a few more hours of studying in for his pending test. On July 3rd, he will be taking the first round of CPA exams. nail bite*

I feel really grateful for all the love and kindness and thoughtfulness people showed me today, and in general for all the richness and goodness in my life. I just want to thank my family and friends for making me feel so loved.

I really feel like I've been totally spoiled this week for a few reasons. First, I got a job this week. I've been conducting  a pretty intense job search since April; I know I've applied to at least 35 teaching jobs in the Bay   Area. A job just landed in my lap on Thursday afternoon.

In May Alex and I went to California so I could interview with three schools, one of these interviews in Hayward seemed promising and we stayed in contact over the next month. On Tuesday I got an email from them saying that they appreciated all I had done, but they went with someone else. That email concluded any promising job prospects.

On Thursday I got a call from a principal of a sister school in Oakland, for a job I hadn't applied for (I don't think?). He said that my contacts at  the Hayward school had a lot of great things to say about me and had suggested me for an interview after they didn't hire me. We had a conference interview then and there and two hours later, I had an offer.

The school serves a lot of kids from rough parts of Oakland, kids who need a lot of help, and adults who believe in them. I'm grateful for this opportunity where I will learn a ton, and hopefully make a difference. It feels like the right place for me next year, and I feel very blessed to have the job secured. I'll be teaching 11th and 12th, which will be interesting.

The second way I was totally spoiled can be seen below:

I got a sweet road bike from Alex for my birthday/anniversary gift. We went on a couple of rides this week and its been super fun and great exercise. For our anniversary we want to take our bikes and tent for a little retreat to Yellowstone or someplace after Alex takes his test. I'm glad we have another hobby we can enjoy together. Overall, my birthday was great, like I said, my family and friends really spoiled me and I'm a lucky lady.  Thanks again, to everyone who made an effort to make my day more special, like I said, I'm very spoiled. 


Especially because of this guy, by the way, these to Mastiffs that we saw were HUGE, this picture does not even do them justice.