Still moving along

Time is passing surprisingly fast here in SF. When we first came out here just under three months ago, I thought September would never come. Now we will be going back to Utah for eight days in two weeks! Brandon's first quarter is almost over, and next week he has finals. His first semester has gone great and he is really loving dental school. And, just as I thought would happen but he was worried about, Brandon is a natural at all of the stuff he is doing; making wax-ups, learning biochem, and assisting with patients.

We had a nice little break last weekend. Brandon aced his test on Friday so we took all of Labor Day weekend (our anniversary) off and he didn't study once. We drove up to Northstar resort at Lake Tahoe and rode the lift accessed downhill and freeride trails all day. Northstar is definitely one of my favorite places to ride! Fun was had, fine lodgings were stayed at (La Quinta Inn) and gourmet food was enjoyed by all (at Panda Express and Carl's Junior). What a classy and relaxing weekend.

                Nothing makes Brandon happier than anniversary buffalo wings

Classes officially started Thursday of this week. The day before class started I was able to go sea kayaking with Louise, who is a family friend of the Nakkens and moved out here a year before we did. It was so fun! We got to see a few harbor seals and one even swam behind us as we paddled away. After that I met up with the Luna Chix mountain bike group for a beautiful ride at China Camp.

Here's the little guy that followed us:

So, at least so far, I seriously love my job. This semester I am teaching three online classes. It's kind of a bummer that I don't have any real life interaction with my students, but for someone with no teaching experience, it's a great way to start out. Next semester they expect that I will do half of my teaching in class and half online.

The way our online classes are set up, the students are assigned pages to read from the textbook, then they watch a video presentation, and read the other information that I have posted. Each week, or module, they have to participate in a class discussion, complete a written assignment, and take a quiz. Then they have a midterm, a final project, and a final exam. So far I have been able to participate in class discussions and grade a few assignments. I get really excited being able to give feedback and participate in these discussions. Although so far it's been all of the overachievers who turn in work early that I've dealt with. Maybe I won't be as excited if I have to push and prod some of the less enthusiastic students.

One benefit of online classes is that I can login from anywhere, so when Brandon has his break, we can go back to Utah and I can still do my job and get paid! Awesome.