The Interview

I'm exhausted tonight and not feeling super inspired to write (it was a long day and I am still on East Coast time), but I figured I owed it to everyone to update you on my interview today. It went really well and I got a good vibe about the whole place. The school is absolutely gorgeous and reminds me a lot of our campus in Peru - everything is outdoors in terms of moving between classes. The band room is a bit small and dated, but it has good storage and is plenty of space for the program as it is now. Everyone I met with was incredibly nice and seemed very impressed with my resume, which always makes me feel good. It was a long day (8-4) and I met with a bunch of different people and seemed to answer a lot of the same questions. I got to teach 2 classes (Hs advanced jazz band and MS concert band) and they went pretty well. Overall I could definitely see myself teaching at this school and being pretty happy. There are parts of the program that are frustrating: small enrollment in band and orchestra, with more emphasis on jazz, and scheduling conflicts that prevent kids from taking band. But these are fairly typical issues and I do feel like there is a lot of support and desire to grow the program, so if I stay for a while, there is the potential for a lot of great things.

I had a few hours of daylight after my interview, so I wandered around the area of Oakland where I am staying. I had every intention of getting into San Francisco, but I was so tired after the marathon day of interviewing that it just didn't happen. Instead I had a nice walk along the water in Oakland and enjoyed the sights. Plus I had Indian food for dinner, which always makes me very happy. This is the view from the back of my hotel and it is gorgeous. Today was perfect - low 70s and not a cloud in the sky. I could truly stay here forever. I wish I didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn to go back to chilly NH.

All and all, it was a wonderful short trip to Oakland and I am so glad I had the opportunity to come. As I told my new best friend, the guy down at the hotel desk, I'm not even that upset with myself for not getting into San Francisco, since hopefully I'll be moving here in a few months and will have plenty of time to explore and experience the area. :) Keep your fingers crossed!!

California

Okay, I think I'm in love with California already and I've only been here an hour. I decided it was best to do a running update about this trip, as opposed to one big blog update at the end. Plus, great things have happened already that I want to share with you!

My travel today started out a bit rough, but ended up fine. I arrived in Manchester in plenty of time for my 10am flight, which turned into an 11:30am flight due to snow in Chicago. For a while they were worried we weren't going to go at all, since no flights were arriving or leaving Chicago at that point. They had boarded us, thinking we would go, then got word that nothing was coming in or out, so we sat on the plane for an hour or so. Luckily I had a good book and they turned off the AC on the plane so I wasn't freezing. And I had a few hours before my connection in Chicago, so I was hopeful it would all work out.

I got to Chicago with plenty of time to make my initial connection, which, of course, was delayed, along with every other flight in Chicago this afternoon. But while I was waiting for my flight, the snow stopped and the sun came out. Plus I found a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, so I was happy. My flight left an hour and a half later than it was suppose to, which put me into Oakland at 6:45 tonight. I didn't realize the flight from Chicago to Oakland was over 4 hours - California is far!!!

I arrived in Oakland to a clear, beautiful sky and bright sunshine, then got to watch the sunset as I drove to the hotel. The driving was much less traumatic than I expected it to be (I'm sure the fact that it is a Sunday night was helpful), but I still had some direction issues. I really hope I can find the school tomorrow! But I got to my hotel after a little trial and error and fell in love with it immediately. It is right across from Jack London Square, which is, apparently, the tourist center of Oakland. The square is right on the water and there are lots of restaurants and shops that I'm looking forward to checking out tomorrow afternoon. The hotel is beautiful and the people here are incredibly nice! The guy at the front desk was one of the friendliest people I've met - he asked if I'd ever been to Oakland before and when I told him that it was my first time in CA, he was very excited. I got up to my room and fell in love with it immediately. It is super fun and I wish I could just stay here forever (I love hotels).

I started unpacking (I need to iron my interview clothes for tomorrow) and was poking around when there was a knock on my door. It was the doorman from the hotel who had brought in my luggage and taken care of my car and look what he brought me! He said he and the front desk guy just wanted to welcome me to Oakland and wish me luck on my interview. They wrote a nice note and brought snacks and printed out a list of interview dos and donts and a list of foods that help your brain. Very sweet! Seriously, the last 15 minutes has been the best experience I've ever had with a hotel.

Hopefully all of this bodes well for my interview tomorrow...

Quilting

I've discovered a true love of quilting in the past few weeks. I made my first full-size quilt at Christmas for my goddaughter and it came out well. I've since realized that making smaller quilts is much faster and more enjoyable (I'm definitely an instant gratification kind of girl). My friend Kirstin in Berlin is about to have her first baby, so I thought she needed a baby quilt. I saw this flannel giraffe fabric when I was still living up in Maine and just couldn't resist it. I thought it was adorable and looked so cute with the green polka dot fabric. This quilt came together really quickly and I think it turned out great. I hope it keeps Kristin and William's baby cozy and warm.

My second small quilt is for Jean. Her hospital room is pretty bland and needed a little spicing up. I saw this fabric last week and immediately loved it. It will add some nice color and excitement to Jean's room and is made with lots of love to protect and heal her. I can't wait to bring it to her this afternoon. And after I go to the hospital I'm going to JoAnn Fabrics to buy fabric for my next project. You'll have to check back to see what it is!

The Past Few Weeks

I've been neglecting my blog recently, but life has just been too busy and overwhelming to sit down and actually write about it. The biggest thing in the last few weeks has been the illness of my dearest friend Jean. I've been debating about what to write here concerning Jean and her illness - I want to respect her privacy, but I also want people to be thinking about her and praying for her. My beautiful, amazing, wonderful, soul-mate of a friend was diagnosed with leukemia 12 days ago and is currently in the hospital going through chemo. It was an overwhelming shock to all of us and I am still trying to come to terms with it. Her prognosis is good, but the process of going through chemo is horrible and she needs all the prayers and positive thoughts she can get. Please send lots of love her way.

Reg's 40th Birthday

Sarah threw her husband Reg a surprise 40th birthday party last night and it was a great success. His birthday was a month ago, so he didn't have a clue the party was happening. Here is the birthday cake from Jacques - their dogs Annabelle and Bentley are pictured on the cake and the black dog next to the cake is suppose to represent Jake, their new dog they got a week ago. And look at the picture of Reg when he was younger. Sarah put up tons of pictures of Reg at all different ages, which was really fun.

Here is the birthday boy walking into the hall. His expression was priceless! He was truly surprised - no faking it there. Sarah did a great job of keeping it a secret and making sure he had no clue. Reg isn't the easiest person to pull something over on, so I know she is very pleased she pulled it off. You could see her visibly relax when he walked in the room - no more having to lie or stress about the party. She did a great job!!

Reg seemed to really enjoy his party. Sarah had invited people from all the different parts of his life - childhood friends, friends he had played in bands with, his friend Steve who got him his job with Ani and was best man at the wedding, all the family, and then random friends like me. :) There was a live band and we had a great time dancing up a storm. Reg even got out on the dance floor at the end of the night!