The move has proved to be a blessing in many ways.  One cool thing is that I am only about a 45 minute drive (when no one else is on the 405) from Hollywood.  I have traveled down a number of times to go to concerts (Maktub, Switchfoot, Soulive and The Sounds among others), see a taping of a TV show (The Sharon Osbourne Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn) or just look around and have a fun time.  In this first picture you can see Jessica and me at the El Capitan Theater.  Jessica and I were also close enough (in our soccer-crazy opinion) to The Home Depot Center to attend every Women’s World Cup Soccer match that was played there.  Seeing national soccer teams battle it out in person was a dream come true for me.

 Speaking of Jessica, we are still dating and we spend a lot of time with each other ~ since she lives nearby in Camarillo too!  We attend a great church here.  She has found a lot of friends – including her new roommates -- while I have found some friends up here and a job!  I spent a lot of the year substituting but, since November, I have been the 7^th grade teacher at Cornerstone Christian School.  God’s timing and hand were definitely present as a few unique circumstances worked together to open up a position for me with the very grade I wanted.  I have really enjoyed teaching 7^th grade Social Studies, English, Reading and 7^th & 8^th grade Bible.

I guess I have also really jumped into things at the church up here since Jessica and I co-lead a Bible study for college students and I often play the bass or guitar during our Sunday night services.

Another fun event this year was taking my first trip to Hawaii.  It was a great experience and I am shocked at:

 


1) how quickly rainstorms can come on and...

2) some of the chairs there had words on the back of them.  I had no idea.  How embarrassing ;)

Merry Christmas!