Life with a Teenager

Life with a teenager can be very challenging. You have a person looking to find who they are, the direction they want their life to run, while all still just trying to be a kid. With these challenges come the parents trying to allow the teenager to find who they are, guide them in the right direction they want their life to run, while still wanting them to be a kid.

Yesterday, I was blessed with a moment of kids just being kids. I have a friend, Tracy, on Facebook and real life, who recommended a Wii game called Just Dance. This game looked like a lot of fun on her video on FB, so Juan and I ran out to go get it. We played together for a couple of hours, and then some of his friends came over to join in the fun. See the video below for a great teenage moment. I love you Juan...stay a kid!!!!

Thank you Tracy for the recommendation and the opportunity to watch my baby just being a kid! GREAT MEMORY!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brERSotj_ME

Snow in So Cal

From Palm Springs to Winter Wonderland in less than 30 minutes. Amazing! Many think of Southern California and they imagine beaches and sun. There is plenty of this, however, the best thing about living in Southern California is you can generally see a beach or snow within an hour or so. Sunday, Juan and I (Brad was sick in bed and couldn't go...BOO!) joined the Elamparo Family (Juan's girlfriend's family) to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram which took us up to the San Jacinto Mountain Park. You take a aerial tram, which holds about 80 people, up to the mountains. Once you arrive, you step out to 14" of snow. It truly is an amazing site, not to mention COLD!!!!!

We spent the day sledding, having a snowball fight, and sharing lots of laughter. It was really a GREAT time, and I look forward to going again in the Summer and Winter.

Thank you Southern California for offering such great weather diversity.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Christmas 2009

The Christmas celebration began with my annual California Christmas celebration on the 19th. I look forward to this event all year long. It is great to have all the California family get together to celebrate the year and the Christmas season. It often includes lots of planning, cleaning, and stress. But with these things it results in a GREAT time.

We begin with visiting and cocktails and then move to the food. This is always yummy! Then we start a game of Christmas Bingo. This is a Christmas tradition from the Devor side of the family which I have adopted as my own. This is always a Christmas tradition we all look forward to each year. The most prized BINGO prize is a bottle of Brut. This may give you an idea of what kinds of prizes are part of this game.

I was excited to have 19 people (including Rachel from Kansas) come and pile into my itty bitty house this year. It was great to have everyone together. Maybe someday I can have a combined California/Kansas Christmas.

Christmas Eve Brad had to work. After work, we went out to dinner, played games, and got ready for Santa. I may have a 15 year old, but we still put out cookies and egg nog for Santa. Never stop believing.

Christmas Day we opened presents, had Hawaiian French Toast for breakfast, and went to opening day of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey, Jr., which is one of Brad and my favorite actors. We both feel he has such great talent and enjoy most movies he makes. Brad was quite a trooper. He came down with the flu on Christmas Day, but went along with all the plans for the sake of Christmas. Gotta love him!

I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas and are blessed in 2010.

Who am I to speak?

I haven't added to my blog since September. Since then I keep looking at some old friends' blogs and wonder why aren't they blogging. I have e-mailed, facebooked (a verb now), and pestered them about updating their blogs. They since have and I have enjoyed every moment of hearing about their lives. However, here I am not blogging myself. So, I am going to give this another whirl. I will not throw out any promises, but I will give it my best effort. I learned on Shannon Albert's blog (www.shannonalbert.me) the best bloggers have their own domain name, pictures, and regular updates. I will look into these Shannon, I promise.

So, 2009...it is coming to an end. Today is Christmas (well, 12:20 a.m. December 25th) and I can't seem to sleep. Maybe I am waiting up with the hopes I see Santa. HA!! We'll see. Anyway, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the year. Here are a few of the lessons of 2009 for Emily Devor:

Having a teenager is a sure route to cardiac arrest: Juan is 15 years old and a freshman in high school. Without going into a great deal of detail (to protect his privacy), Juan has created some challenges for me this year. I am trying to remember what it is like to be a teenager and be respectful of what he is going through right now, but SERIOUSLY!! Is this age completely necessary...can we just go from 12 to 27. I am sure my insurance company would approve, by not having to pay for any more blood pressure meds.

I will never lose my passion for teaching:
I have been so lucky this year to go from pink slip to Principal. There is a long story. But in the end, I was assigned my first Principal position this school year. I love the position and continue to learn everyday. People often ask if I miss teaching. The answer is always YES. I was born to be a teacher, wanted to be nothing else but a teacher. So, to say I don't miss teaching wouldn't make any sense. This is NOT to say, however, I don't enjoy being a Principal. It is just now I have to be more creative in finding ways to "teach." One of my commitments is to take a grade level a week to teach intervention to a small group of students. This has helped class sizes during intervention, but selfishly has given me opportunities to directly work with students each day.

I love my husband:
I remind myself of this lesson everyday. Brad and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary earlier this month. I love him more each and everyday. Do we drive each other completely crazy somedays, weeks, or monhts. OH YES!!!!!! But when all is said and done, Brad has taught me so much about myself while letting me grow into who I am. Brad has given me nothing but support for anything I want to do. Brad has taught me to calm down during stressful situations. Brad has taught me I can't control EVERYTHING. I love you Brad!!

I love reality TV:
My guilty pleasure revealed. I love all types of reality TV. I am so entertained by the lives of others...real of not. They make me giggle and reflect on us as a society. It's hard to believe there are actually people out there who would put their lives on TV, and I love watching every second of it.

Those are some of my lessons for this year. It is know 12:40 a.m. and I really should get some sleep. I will make every attempt to update my blog for 2010. Fingers crossed! MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

I decided to to the 40 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for two reasons, one civic in nature and one personal. Civic in nature by increasing awareness of breast cancer and raising money to support education and research.

Personally, I did this to prove to myself I can complete it. The 40 mile walk was over a two day period from Queen Mary to El Dorado Park (+26 miles) and then wake up to walk another 13 + miles from El Dorado Park to Queen Mary. This walk was in Long Beach, and took me through much of my childhood which was very emotional. I walked by places I used to go to as a kiddos (i.e. Baskin Robbins, Flower Shop), hospital I was born, Demille Middle School, and so much more. This was an experience I will never forget. Neither will my feet. I ended up with several blisters and a torn off toe nail. Not just a broken toe nail, but a GONE toe nail. That caused instant pain and tears.

Thank you to all the people on the walk supporting me along the way. A special thanks to my friend, Alia Ihmud. Thank you for doing this walk with me and encouraging me every step of the way.

Here are a few pics of the experience.

Summer Update

The summer is quickly coming to an end. I have already started back to work as of July 21st. I am very much looking forward to the new year and the great experiences which lie ahead. Juan has been very busy with soccer camp for 2 hours in the morning, naps and chores for a little while, and then to soccer club training for 2 hours in the evening. He should be a professional by the end of the summer I am sure. Brad, unfortunately, doesn't get the type of break Juan and I have. He enjoys his time home though by frolicking in the pool, trying to keep cool. The weather has stayed in the 100's for a few weeks now, so we are all looking forward to some cooler temps soon.

Juan registers for high school next week. We have purchased his school supplies and some new clothes, and it is starting to feel for real. It is hard to believe he is high school and will graduate and be an adult in only 4 years. He has grown up very quickly and we are so proud of all his accomplishments and can't wait to see what others areas of success he will find.

That's all for now. Love to all!!

Brad, Juan, and I went to Wyoming last week to enjoy the many amazing views of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks. While there, we met up with Brad's parents, sister and family, and sons of his brother. Had a great time with the family and enjoyed some good old fashion R & R. Here is a scrapbook showing some of our fun times. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A little COUSIN FUN!

Luke and Holt were able to stay with us for a few days after the Holt reunion. I am so glad they were able to hang out. It's great watching the boys hang out and get to know each other a little better every time they are together. Here are a few shots of going to see Transformers and enjoying some good ol' night swimming.

Busy Blog

This has not been a very busy blog. I developed this blog with the intention to keep my "not-so-close" family updated on the news of the Devor family. Unfortunately, the Devor family member (me) in charge of updating the blog has been so busy lately. When I have time to relax, that is just what I do. I veg out, watch mindless television, and eat ice cream. Trust me when I tell you this combination has not been beneficial to me physically or mentally. This needs to change, #1. #2, I really need to keep my blog much more current. I will do my best, so keep checking back it to see if there is anything new.

To begin with, we are having the annual Holt reunion in Temecula, CA today. I will post some pictures by the end of the weekend for everyone to enjoy.

Much love to all my family and friends who take the time to check my blog-I promise I will try to do better.

PS So, I went to the reunion and had such a GREAT time that I didn't take a single picture. I asked some family members to send me some, so we'll see if they do. Everyone looked great and are all doing well. It was a smaller crowd this year (no Kansas family, they make a big difference when they are here), but stil had a nice time. This year, Tracy and Laura (Danny's fiance) won the horseshoe tournatment. Thank you Kevin for creating a great tradition.

FAMILY

It has been a long time since my last blog. Life has just been a bit crazy. Here is a "mini scrapbook" of my recent trip to Kansas for Elizabeth's college graduation. ENJOY!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Miami with Brad and Emily (March 2009)

I am super proud of Brad. His company recognized him for all his hard work for Outstanding Service as Chaplain of the Year 2008. This recognition came with a expense paid trip to South Beach-Miami, Florida. We had a great stay and enjoyed the sites of Miami. Here are a few shots of our trip.

Brad and I all gussied up for the award dinner.

Here we are enjoying a warm afternoon with a nice, cool beverage at a local bar.

Brad looking quite damper if I may say so myself before going to get his picture taken which will be posted in his office as Chaplain of the Year.

Enjoying some outside time at a juice bar on Ocean Drive.

Enjoying a yummy dinner with Brad's co-workers.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

On this trip, we were offered accommodations at the Ritz Carlton. It was a GREAT place to stay (especially because it was paid for). Here a few pictures of the room and pool area.

I have to admit the bathroom was my favorite part of the room. The first door on the right is the shower and the second door closer to the mirror is the toilet room. The bathroom was just so super roomy and big. I really liked it and want to build one in my house. :-)

Tupperware with Kay Sedia

Tonight I was invited to a Tupperware Party. My initial thought, was NO WAY!! I don't need to pay $50 for a salad spinner that I don't need. But I decided to go ahead and go after I found out the consultant is a proud Latina drag queen named Kay Sedia (yes, like quesidilla). It was a riot and I had a great time. Here are a few shots for enjoyment.

Rachel's Time Out in California

Yes my blog followers...I am still alive. I know it has been a long time since I have written, but it has just been an extremely busy time right now both personally and professionally. I was given a phone call last week, however, which allowed me to keep my mind off of some of the things I can't control. My youngest sister, Rachel, called and said I am coming over next week. This was exciting news considering she lives in Kansas. I was thrilled and we have had a fun few days together. Here are a few shots of our time together. Thank you Rachel for coming out. Love you!

Valentine's 2009

I count my blessings everyday for having such great people in my life who I love dearly and hopefully love me back! This year I shared Valentine's Day with some of those people. I shared V-Day with my hubby, friends, and spouses. Here are a few shots of our fun evening.


The happy couple even after 15 blissful years! I LOVE my Braddy!!



Brandon McDannell, the evening entertainment. Brandon is the son of one of friends (Sue, his mom, is actually in the red top in front of speaker. She is probably used to the loud noise by now). He is a very talented musician!

These are some group shots. My favorite had to be the one with the men. The girls were all excited about getting their group picture together. As you can see, the men did not share the same level of excitement. It was hilarious!

Save 2nd Base

SAVE 2ND BASE!


Come on ladies-think back in high school...SAVE 2nd BASE.



I’ve committed to participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this September. It’s a big commitment, one that will require me to spend the next several months training and fundraising. This event will be a 39.3 mile walk over a weekend in Long Beach, California (Queen Mary to El Dorado Park and back to the Queen Mary). I will be walking with thousands of other women supporting this important cause. I can’t do it without your help. Though I’m required to raise at least $1,800 in donation, I plan to raise much more! I hope that I can count on your support.


HOW CAN I HELP!
You can make a donation to my fundraising campaign on my personal Avon Walk for Breast Cancer website by clicking here. All you have to do is click on the pink "Donate Now" button. If you prefer to write a check, just contact me and I'll send you the information and form.As I prepare for this exciting event, I plan to update this page and the Avon webpage frequently so that all my supporters can follow my progress, so please visit often. Thank you in advance.

Facebook Reconnects

Facebook is super awesome in providing opportunities for people to reconnect. Since joining Facebook I have caught up with so many people from high school, World's of Fun, and college. It has been great to see how everyone has gotten older with jobs, families, and careers. It has reminded me to treasure each moment, because life has gone by so quickly.

This evening Brad, Juan, and I were able to have dinner with a friend from World's of Fun. We calculated we haven't seen each other for about 15 years. This number is just unbelievable. Although we have all grown older, we can still laugh at the silliest things and reminisce about our times together as teenagers. GREAT times.

Thanks Justin for a great evening! We wish you all the best and hope to see you again very soon! Love you!