Day 11

On November 11th, I am thankful for two things. Today is veteran's day and I am thankful for the men and women, past and present, who sacrifice their time to protect our country. It's something that I don't have the heart for, but am so glad that others do so that we can live in freedom.

I am also thankful for...[drum roll please]... GETTING AN INTERVIEW FOR THE EAK POSITION IN SANTEE!!!!! I am so excited and nervous! I got the call right before I was on my way to pick up Allie for our friend date. I sent in my application last week but I kept telling people that I didn't think I would hear back this week because it is a short 3 day week with the holiday. But sure enough, I get the call offering me an interview next Thursday the 18th at 8am. I feel beyond blessed to get the opportunity to interview. I am sure that hundreds of people sent in applications since the job was posted online and out of all the applicants, I was one of the lucky ones who gets to prove why they should hire me. I know EAK will be tough, but I'm kind of looking forward to the challenge. Stay tuned to find out how the interview goes!!

Day 10

On November 10th, I am thankful for my mom. She is the rock in our family. The one who makes things happen. Her quiet demeanor often makes her go unnoticed in a big crowd, but she's there, humbly serving her friends and family. If there is one quality that I would want to take after both my mom and my dad, it's their willingness to help others. Both of them are always right there to lend a hand. She has been there for me in every school project, test, competition, field trip, break-up, accomplishment, and failure. I take for granted her presence in my life and how lucky I am to not only have a mom, but to have a caring, loving, serving mom that will be there at the drop of a hat. Mom, I love you.

Day 9

On the 9th day in November, I am thankful to be my father's daughter. He and I don't always get along, on account of I'M JUST LIKE HIM! I may have some qualities that I'm not too proud of that I can attribute to him, but there are also qualities that I am proud to say I got from him. He is such a hard worker for our family. As I write this, he is downstairs tearing apart our house for the kitchen remodel, working his butt off.

My dad has gone through a lot in his life and I don't even know the half of it. As I've gotten older he has shared a little more with me about the struggles that he faced growing up and it breaks my heart to hear. He's not one to openly share the struggles and pain of his childhood, so most people don't understand all that he's been through. He's a fighter and a pursuer of what he wants for himself and his family. He had to endure the pain of not having a father around when he grew up, yet despite the lack of a father figure, he strives to be a loving, providing, hardworking father that teaches his children valuable life lessons that he had to learn the hard way. I love and respect my dad for all that he has sacrificed for our family and I don't tell him that enough.

Day 8

On the 8th of November, I am thankful for the opportunity to enjoy God's work on this beautiful, crisp, fall morning! I didn't have a sub job this morning so I woke up and took Sadie for a walk around the block. This morning was breathtakingly beautiful! It had rained earlier in the morning so the streets were glistening, but the sun made an appearance among the gray clouds and the temperature was just right. It felt so good just to soak in the moment because there are not many days that I will get (once I get a job) to revel in the peace and serenity this morning provided.

Day 7

On November 7th, I am thankful for my high school girl's small group. They are such an amazing group of young women that love the Lord. I am impressed every week with their commitment, passion, and willingness to be vulnerable. I know that when I was their age I did not have the mature relationship with God that these girls have. I know I speak for Allie too, when I say that we are so blessed to have such a great group of girls to work with this year.

We all pitched in to make a trunk for our church's Trunk or Treat party on Halloween. Their creativity and dedication was awesome! Our theme was Toy Story and each of the girls dressed up as a character.

Day 6

On November 6th, I am thankful for my grandparents...both sets. Chynna had a soccer game today and so my Nana and Poppy drove down to cheer her on. After I got off work I met them and my grandma and grandpa at Estradas for lunch. I am so lucky to have both sets of grandparents alive and well to come visit although my Nana and Poppy's health is deteriorating. All four offer something so unique and special to my life and I am lucky to have them around.

Day 5

On the 5th of November, I am thankful for the community I live in. I just LOVE my little town. I know most people don't like where they grew up and want to move on to bigger and better places when they finish school, but I am so content with where I live. I have always loved the feeling of community. Every year my church hosts an Old Fashioned picnic at Santee Lakes and it seriously makes my heart smile. It reminds me of the town picnics in shows like Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman where the whole town gets together for games, food, and fellowship. Some people probably think stuff like that is cheesy, but I look forward to it all year.

Today was the annual Firefighter Pancake Breakfast at the station and it was so much fun catching up with people I haven't seen in while or meeting new people that know my dad. He and I had breakfast together and then we just walked around socializing. It was such a fun morning!

Day 4

On November 4th, I am thankful that God has been providing me with sub jobs and the opportunity to network. I have talked to some of the girls from my credential program and they aren't getting called for sub jobs. I am so blessed that I worked at least three days a week in the month of October. That's amazing! And although I don't have much lined up for the month of November yet, I know that God will provide.

Today I was able to work at Hill Creek as a roaming sub while teachers finished up some of their assessments. I started out in a 4th grade class until recess, worked in Connor's K/1 class, then taught math in a a 4/5 combo until lunch. After lunch, I was in a 6th grade class until the end of the day. The day just zoomed by since I had so much going on. Sometimes I just can't believe that I get paid to do what I like to do.

Day 3

On November 3rd, I am thankful for a roof over my head. I'm really blessed that I am able to still live at home while I work on getting a job as a teacher. I realize that life could be a lot tougher if I didn't have the comfort of living with my parents. I probably wouldn't even be able to sub and network because I would need to work full time at AAA to make rent. Sometimes I take advantage of the fact that I have a warm place to sleep and feel safe when so many others don't.

Day 2

On the 2nd of November, I am thankful that I have a good savings and a job that allows me have fun, yet save at the same time. Today was a sad day in that I had to take my laptop in to get fixed because it was overloaded and crashing with viruses :( It was all my fault; I was watching a television show on a website that wasn't very secure with lots of pop-ups and I'm pretty sure that's what did me in. What's ironic is that the show I was watching is about a guy who works at a store called the "Buy More" which is supposed to resemble a Best Buy and he works in the "Nerd Herd" of the electronics department which is supposed to be like the Geek Squad and that's exactly who I had to take it to to get it fixed. It cost me an arm and a leg, but I learned my lesson and I am so thankful that I have a savings so that this minor setback didn't break the bank.

I remember when I first got my job at AAA. I had been let go for the summer from SDG because they didn't have enough work for me. I was praying that God would provide work, but I hadn't told many people that I was looking for another job. My grandma (thinking I had a stable job) said that she heard from a woman in her poker group that they were hiring at AAA and I should apply. God's timing! And that job has continued to be a blessing ever since, including stability during a time when I am trying to break my way into the field of education.

25 days of Giving Thanks

Every year at Thanksgiving my family and I go up to my Nana and Poppy's and as we sit down to enjoy an amazing meal we go around the table and say what we are thankful for as most families do. The easy response is "I am thankful for my friends and family." This year I want to take more than one day to remind myself of what I am thankful for, so I am starting 25 days of Giving Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving.

On the 1st of November, I am thankful that God has shown me the profession to pursue and that I love it so much. It was like Christmas morning when I woke up today because the first thing I did this morning when I woke up was to check EdJoin to see if they finally posted the positions for EAK teachers in Santee. I was told they would be posted in October so I faithfully checked the website every day and today is the morning that it finally came!! I started working on my application and thankfully I updated my resume back in August when I thought the district might be hiring so this application will be a snap! Praying that this is the path God wants me on. So far a couple of doors have closed that I thought were great opportunities, but those doors closing were actually blessings because I would not be in the position I am now that will allow me to apply to this position. So grateful for a passion for teaching!

Reflection

This summer has seriously been the best summer! It's been full, yet relaxing. A look back...
[side note: this post should be looked at while listening to Kina Grannis' album "Stairwells". It is the official soundtrack to my summer. ]

Padre game with Alanna. Scary, but fun with Alanna as always. We learned to NEVER ride the trolley at night just the two of us ever again.


My dad graduated with his AA in Fire Science. SOOO proud of him :)

Credential Program Graduation

Lost Party. See previous post. Also, we just had a Lost reunion party where we watched the epilogue and special features. It made me feel so much better about the ending of the show.

Disneyland with Alanna. We were bombarded and I mean literally bombarded by about 20 asian tourists when we got off the Matterhorn who wanted to take a pciture with us. So we gladly obliged and couldn't stop laughing. I got the courage to ask some of them to take a picture with us on my camera as well to document. It was so funny and random, but what else can I expect when I'm out with Alanna.

House sitting with Al in North Park. Gilmore girls and being rock stars.

Disneyland with Lauren. We did all the stuff no one else likes to do with us, like dance in the parades and watch the shows.

Allie's brother Evan's visit.

Watching Guy Fieri at the fair with Ty and Lauren after scarfing down pizza and austrailian battered potatos! No trip to the fair would be complete without the food.

Camp Beyond the Scars. SO much fun and put things in perspective for me. I can't wait go back next summer. (Again, see previous post.)

Matt and Jenna's Wedding

Josh's visit. Chynna did a soccer camp for a week all the coaches were from England. Most of hte coaches had families to stay with, but Josh was homeless for the week so Chynna asked, "Can we take him home?" and my mom gave in. We introduced him to real mexican food (his only previous experience was Idaho mexican food), and sushi. I took him to Mt. Soledad and La Jolla Cove and he absolutely loved it! He misses So Cal and said he wants to move here because it's so much better than England. I asked what was so much better and his first response was, "the girls." haha He also quickly realized that his accent got him a long way with the ladies. He also taught me a list of English phrases and said my impression of his accent wasn't half bad. Yay me!

He was with us during the final game of the world cup so his fellow coaches came over to our house for swimming and to watch the game.

He wanted a picture with my dad at the station.

Allie's Auntie Rach's visit. Had my first cannoli in Little Italy. It was amazing!!

Sports Camp at church. We did cheerleading.

Family vacation to San Francisco. Ty, Chy and I at Ghiradelli square. We kept going into the shop so that we could get the free samples. Yum.

Golden Gate Bridge on the way to see an old military fort.Muir Woods

Alcatraz was swesome! So many cool stories of men attempting and failing to escape.

It's tradition...Tyler's birthday at Red lobster.

Finding Kate Morgan's room at the Hotel Del

VBS at church. Chynna and Maddie got to be in Kristin and my group. We were the pink group and dressed up every day.

Santee Lakes bike rides with Allie Bug. Our first attempt was not successful as it resulted in a mouth full of mosqitos. The second time was beautiful with the wind blowing through my hair...felt like a kid again.

High School Beach Bonfire

First crepe ever! Chocolate nutella crepe for breakfrast while Grant was in town. I've been two more times since! I just can't stay away. In fact, I'm starting to crave one right now....[drool]

Manhattan Beach/Downtown Disney Date with Allie when I picked her up from LAX coming home from Oregon. We had dinner at a cute taco shop on the water and watched cute surfers haha. Then headed to Downtown Disney were we got dessert and people watched. I tried to ask someone for their tickets that they were done with so that we could ride a few rides, but the first person I asked made me feel like a con artist trying to steal from her with just a simple glare so we gave up.

Late night girl dates with long time friends and good talks.

One last Momo night before she goes to college :) Proud of that girl! Souplantation, The Last Song, dress up, and Yours Mine and Ours.

Stephanie's visit. I had so much fun with Steph while she was here. I had been introduced to her before, but we never really got to know each other until this trip. My schedule was wide open and she needed someone to hang with while Nick was at school and working so we spent LOTS of time together. She's my new friend! On her last day in town, we went to La Jolla Cove (her 4th time this trip) and admired the ocean. I guess since I see it all the time (or at least more often than she does) I atke it for granted. But listening to her go on and on about how beautiful it is gave me a new appreciation for it. I felt like I got to see it through her eyes and it was gorgeous.

Blast from the past

I've been meaning to find this video to put on my computer and I finally got around to it today.

For those who don't know...I'm a nerd. And I was part of a very elite group my senior year called WPP (Wednesday Problem Party). We got together every Tuesday night to work on the weekly Wednesday calculus problem. Marissa would make dessert, ususally cake, and we would hang out eventually getting some math done in the process. Our final in calculus was to make a video, so with the help of the very talented Michael Reed, I present our final project...

Mighty Morphin Calculus Rangers from Aubri Sengebusch on Vimeo.

Camp Beyond the Scars

I know I am way late in posting this, but better late than never :)

Camp was completely awesome and I can't wait to go back next year! I will admit I was terrified going into it. The last time I had gone to camp was in 6th grade (turns out this camp was at the same place haha). But as soon as Sam and I pulled up (to the right location...we got lost around camp first) I felt so comfortable and at ease because of all the wonderful people that work at BI.

I don't even know where to start...there was horseback riding, archery, walk wall, FLAAAGPOOOLLE!, s'mores, Buck Howdy, glitter hair, water gun fights, swimming, mountain biking, and new friends. I had such an amazing experience that I can't imagine not going back every year. Seeing these kids putting aside what they've been through and their insecurities to just be kids for a week is a tremendous thing to witness. I saw kids open up, come out of their shells, make friends, and try things they might never have thought possible in the span of a week and it was truly inspiring. I was more than happy to be part of something that brings so much joy to kids who really need it. Go Sparkling Survivors!!!

Clap your hands (clap, clap, clap)

Stomp your feet (stomp, stomp, stomp)

Sparkling Survivors can't be beat!

Our Pre-teen girls poster!! The teen boys stole everyone's poster and hung them on the flag pole on the second to last day. We retaliated by "sparkling" their cabin. We put glitter in their shoes, Justin Beiber and vampire posters on the walls, scattered balloons, and put girlie stickers everywhere. They thought the teen girls were the culprits so they never got us back. muahahaha

Rachel and I in a group shot with the girls pointing out posters that the girls put up to decorate our cabin. All the girls were Team Jacob, so Rachel and I had to show our support for Team Edward :)

Sam and I in a group shot with the girls on our first day with campers (our 2nd day)

Sitting with Sam and one of our awesome campers during the dance. Jennie, one of our co-counselors brough flowers to put in all of the girls' hair for the big night. Getting ready for the dance was so much fun! Us Pre-teen counselors set up a beauty salon in the bathroom to help the girls look their best to impress the pre-teen boys haha. I was at one end curling their hair, Rachel was in charge of make-up and glitter, and Sam painted nails.

Lost Party

It's hard to believe that I won't ever go over to someone's house to watch a brand new episode of LOST with my friends and theorize what it's all about. The jury is still out on whether I liked the finale or not, but to celebrate the series finale we had a LOST party where costumes were not optional. My friends are so cool....

Workman Roger and Kate Austin

Penny and Baby Charlie, Crazy Claire, Daniel Faraday, Kate Austin, Workman Roger, Pregnant Claire, The Hatch, 2 Party Poopers, Jacob, and John Locke.

So...what's next?

Summer is finally here...for me anyway. Graduatated last weekend with my friends and family there to cheer me on. What a wonderful feeling!

Had my first REAL sub job the day after I graduated. Boy, did I learn a lot! Like I need go buy some candy stat, so I can bribe the kids to listen to me haha.

Visited my first graders for their Patriotic Program and felt like a proud parent HAHA. It was soo cool to see it come together after I had helped out with practices and they did such a great job! And it was so great to see all of them again. It never gets old to hear "Miss. Sengebusch, we missed you!" I felt like a disney princess who had to take pictures with all the little kids. Everytime I turned around another student was asking me to take a picture with them. Seriously makes me feel so loved :)

Memorial day was fun. There is NOTHING better than laughing with friends.