My Voice, My Heart, My Life

Effective January 26th, 2012 all airline ticket prices will include all taxes and fees. The Department of Transportation is enforcing a "Transparency Act". Meaning that they can not advertise for a $90 round trip fare and then add $50 of fees at the end of purchase. The ticket price quoted to you will be $140. No hidden fees on your ticket! This new ticket initiative is good news for the consumer. How many times have you gone through the process of getting your ticket and you think you found a good deal only to find that your deal is not really a deal. Knowing the exact amount of the ticket is very beneficial and not having to worry about hidden fees is a relief. A person can plan better and save better. Not only are the airlines required to be forthright about the complete cost of the ticket but also have other fees visible and up front, such as baggage fees. So when you're booking on online they will tell you how much the checked baggage fee will be. This new la

It's been a few days since the Niners lost the NFC Championship but I'm still thinking about it. It was a sad lose but it was a great year. It was so amazing to see a team that had been struggling for many years and come back to regain their glory. In other words the Empire Strikes Back. No one had thought that they would have been one game away from the Superbowl. It was an exciting game and it was a memorable season. I knew that days after the lose some people would be pointing blame and being very angry and mean. I also knew who their target was going to be, #10 Kyle Williams. I figured that Alex Smith was going to receive some criticism because he's the quarterback and it comes with the territory, but he did make mistakes during the second half of the game. Right know I want to concentrate on Kyle Williams. He was involved in 2 specific errors that cause the only 2 turnovers in the game. The first one was from a punt return that he got to close too and it ending up

A few years ago my husband gave me the best gift, a subscription to Hillbarn Theater in Foster City, a community theater. The subscription is for 6 plays. The theater is very intimate making every seat in the house a great seat. Hillbarn's plays are very diverse from well known production and some not so well known but all fabulous. I love it and we have continued the                                                                            subscription since. It makes for perfect date                                                               nights. Recently we have subscribed to another playhouse in San Jose, Broadway San Jose. This theater is much bigger and the plays are more well known. The subscription is also for 6 plays. The downside is that because its a bigger theater not all the seats are great seats. Our season seats are way in the back but it's still enjoyable, the productions are quite elaborate.  Because  it's in San Jose we opted for matinee ticket

On Wednesday we had our last field trip of the year. We went to Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. They have a program called "Concert for Kids" by the SF Symphony Orchestra. It's a 45 minute program where they introduce children to the different instruments and how they function in the orchestra. Now this field trip was different from the rest of the field trips we have done in the past. The main difference is that Kindergarten was not in charge of the details. All the details where giving to us at later dates and in pieces, so I felt a bit of trepidation going into this field trip. The program began at 11:30 but we needed to be there at least 45 minutes before to get seating. We left school around 9:30, because traffic into downtown San Francisco is unpredictable, and arrived around 10:20. There was no parking for the school bus so it parked temporarily in a bus stop so we all rushed out before a Muni bus came by. There was a line formed along the side of the b

Today we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here was a man who preached love, peace, equality only to be faced with hate, violence and discrimination. Finding his strength in God he stepped forward in faith and shook this nation to its core. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr. King wrote these words while he sat in a Birmingham jail. Despite where he was he provided encouragement, guidance and strength to those helping him in his work. He was a great example of strong leadership and strong faith. I'm grateful for the road he took. For the stand he made to make our nation a better place. To shine a light into the darkness. I'm grateful for his dream. I'm grateful that he had courage to follow his dream. Thank you Dr. King for your faith, courage and dream! Happy Birthday, Dr. King.

I'm still whirling from yesterday's game. It was one of the most heart pounding, nerve wrecking, hair pulling, voice losing and edge of your seat game I've seen in a long time! I loved ever minute of it! Those last four minutes where the most intense. The 49ers and Saints changed leads four times in the last four minutes. 4:02 remaining- Darren Sproles catches 44-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees as the Saints go ahead. Saints, 24-23 2:11 remaining - Alex Smith scores on a 28-yard bootleg run to give the Niners the lead. The 2 point conversion fails. 49ers, 29-24 1:37 remaining - Jimmy Graham catches a pass from Brees and turns it into a 66-yard scoring play. The 2 point conversion successful. Saints, 32-39 0:09 remaining - Vernon Davis caps an incredible game, grabbing a 14-yard pass from Smith, for the decisive score. 49ers, 36-32 (Break down courtesy of The Daily App) It was an unbelievable finish! Once the clock ran out I was on Facebook po

I'm very much looking forward to today! I love football! I had the privilege and pleasure of growing up near Candlestick Park. As the air began to crisp and the leaves began to fall; red, gold and white filled the neighborhood. Yes, hundreds of avid fans dressed to the 49s to watch and cheer on our San Francisco 49ers. Young and old coming together to celebrate the ups and downs of our franchise. Perfect strangers sharing meals from the back of their cars or trucks coming together in 49er solidarity. Seeing different people from all walks of life leaving all the mess of the world behind them joining together to watch football. A simple pleasure but no less important. I grew up watching Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice lead SF to 5 Superbowl rings. So when they retired, like most of the city, I was concerned. Will the Dynasty be able to continue as strong as we where? The answer was no. For many many years the team struggled and we didn't enjoy the plenty of the past. Y

I love history. I enjoy learning about the past and find it interesting how often we repeat it. I especially enjoy learning local history. Periodically I'll go down to Barnes & Noble and pick up one of the "Images of America" series. They show history through pictures with small narratives under each image. What I really like about them is that it's all local history. I find books about East Bay cities, South Bay cities, the Peninsula and about San Francisco. Now San Francisco is so large to talk about that they divided the books by districts. There's one for Mission District, Visitation Valley, Noe Valley and so on. It's a fun way to learn some local history. So speaking of local history, one of our most beautiful landmarks has an anniversary today. If you said the Golden Gate Bridge then you did read the title or you're really up on your SF history. On January 5, 1933, San Francisco broke ground and began construction on the Gold

Yesterday was the first day back from holiday vacation. It was as if I never left. In a good way and a bad way. The good way. The kids for the most part picked up where they left off. Still remembering routines, information and schedules. But vacation was still in them. The bad. For parts of the day it was as if we were back to the first day of school. That happens after two weeks of wild abandonment. You need to reteach certain things and keep them on pace. Reminding them constantly that inside work outside play; not play all the time. Being it was the first day back, they excitedly awaited to share about their holidays. Some went to the snow, others went ice skating, Disneyland (love Disneyland!) and one lucky person went to see family in Hawaii. They were all excited about their respective vacations and had a blast. One of the kids was so excited about losing his first two teeth that he brought them in baggies to show me! He beamed with pride as he showed me his teeth and new smil

It's so hard to say good-bye to this holiday season. My tree is still up and I don't want to take it down. I like how my house looks when Christmas comes. Unfortunately this year was not as deck the halls as I like but at least I had a tree and some poinsettias. Even with a hint of Christmas my place feels like it could snow. Snow that would be nice. Tomorrow I return to work and I have mix feelings. I enjoyed my time off and like any vacation I could use one more day. But on the other hand I miss my students and look forward to hearing their stories. So how to spend the last day before work. Sleep in, which for me is 8:30, spend the morning with my husband, who I only really get to see on weekends, and watch a movie with family. It was a mellow day which I enjoy. Nothing can beat spending time with family doing something low key. The only way to end a kick back day is to brew a cup a tea and watch some Tivoed Iron Chef America with the hubby. I love watching people run aro

Dear God, Thank you for granting me to see a new year. I thank you for the year 2011. Much occurred in the last 365 days. Some bad, some good but all in your control. I really grew as a person in 2011. I became stronger, more of my own person, firmer voice and a bit more disciplined. Thank you for allowing the trials to arrive and thank you for getting me through it. Thank you for your constant care and guiding hand. Thank you for your love and mercy that is given daily. Thank you for the joy You give and forgiveness bestowed. Thank you for always being the same. Having You in my life has gotten me through this year. You helped me get through the hardships of this year. You helped me up when I've fallen, wiped my tears away and told me You'll never leave me. You are truly the one person that will never fail me. I never have to question your love for me or your trustworthiness. It's always guaranteed. I wish I could say the same of myself. Please forgive me for my unfaith