Rite of Passage- Owning a Car

Last week, Jeremy and I bought our very first car. Neither of us had ever bought or owned a car before, so we got to experience it together. After weeks of researching car safety stats, test-driving multiple models, and asking our parents lots of questions, we finally bought a 2005 Chevy Malibu, white with tan interior.

Even though the car has 74000 miles, the previous owner took excellent care of it. We got a great price from the Chevy dealership for $7200 and traded in our little 1996 Hyundai Accent for $400. We are really happy with it.

Now that we've survived dozens of dealers and bargaining bogus, we feel much more grown-up. Here's some of the wisdom we've gained from our first-time car buying experience:

• Call your parents for advice.
  
• Don't trust the online ads. Call and ask before you go see the car.
• Use a matrix spread sheet system to help rate which cars are the best options for your safety, design and financial needs. You'll have to ask Jeremy how to create one!
  
• Don't settle. But don't expect a golden carriage, either.
  
• When you know something is wrong with the car and the dealer disagrees with you, walk away. Luckily we didn't buy that car.
• If the dealer can't give you written proof, don't believe him.
  
• Take lots of notes about each car.
  
• Since 1996, a lot of neat car features have been invented. Like remote windows and locks. And little bells that tell you when your lights are still on! Oh, the luxuries!
• Test out EVERYTHING during the test drive. Even the window wipers and cruise control.
  
• Don't tell the dealer you are going to pay completely with cash until after you negotiate a price (thanks Dad R for letting us know this before we made that mistake twice!)
• Service is better and more reliable at real dealerships.
• When you're ready to buy, be ready to wait... for 6-8 hours... before you leave with the car.
  
• Pray before test driving and buying. Pray before negotiating.
• Have the courage to say no to the dealers when the Spirit tells you to. Even if all logic tells you to say yes.
• Expect the financial guy to sell you all kinds of warranties and bonus stuff you don't need. Just say no. Even after he lowers the price SIX times.
  
• Take advantage of the economy by making demands. Like telling them there is no way you will pay $250 to be able to take the car to an independent mechanic. Once we put up a fuss, they waived the "fee."
• Old, white haired men are the nicest dealers to work with. They don't pressure you to buy the car.
• Be ready to say goodbye to the car you are trading in. (There are so many fun memories we had in that little Hyundai. sniff, sniff)
• Go out to dinner on your way home with your new car. It helps relieve all the stress from your 7 hour wait at the dealership.
• Memorize what your car looks like before going to work. Use the remote clicker to make your car honk if you're not sure which one is yours.
  

We Have Pirates for Parents

Every year, Dad Z plans a fun get-a-way for him and Mom Z during their anniversary (Feb 12). This year, he took Mom on a cruise. They left from Long Beach, so we got to have them at our apartment before and after they left.

The two themes of the trip were The Love Boat and Pirates. Pretty much their cabin was decked out with love boat and pirate decor all week long, making their room the largest fire hazard on the ship. They were even wearing crazy pirate costumes when we picked them up!
Jeremy and I took part in the planning of the trip by designing a treasure hunt for Mom and Dad. We made a map of clues that took them up and down Huntington Beach Main St and Pier. While they were traipsing around in public wearing pirate costumes and getting weird looks, we sped to the beach to bury the authentic treasure chest filled with fake- and even real- jewels. About fifteen minutes later, two awkward looking pirates came plunking along the sand, ready to dig for their treasure!

Later, we took our parents to a beach in South Laguna called Treasure Island. We explored the tide pools once again, which never gets old. Also during the weekend, we took them to the Getty Museum and the Newport Beach Temple. It was Varrry fun!

Back in Teaching Mode

The past two weeks have been super crazy, but also very rewarding and successful. Everyone at the Fairmont School has been very welcoming to me. The students are fantastic, well-behaved, smart, highly motivated, etc. The teachers are all really helpful and supportive. I have an AMAZING mentor teacher who actually checks up on me every day, answers my questions and gives her honest input--something I've not had in the past. The principal and other administrators really appreciate my ideas, energy and abilities--something else that was lacking at my last full time position.

So I have to admit that I'm not used to having so much support and respect. Everyone is treating me like gold and no one bats an eye at the fact that I am new or that this is my first year as a music teacher. It makes me want to live up to my fullest potential and offer every good thing that I can to the students and the school. And I don't have to be worried that people will be threatened or offended by my enthusiasm.

Yesterday I realized that I've only taught each class three times so far. It seems like I've been with the students much longer than that! Things have just been happening, happening, happening. I've barely been able to keep my head above water. Actually, my head has been filled with liquid all this past week. I ended up getting infections in both of my ears. I still went to school and taught, which was a dreamy feeling since I couldn't hear anything that I said. But I was still able to sing and teach my lessons.

To top off the stress of being new and sick, the school had their annual Open House on Friday the 20th, which is perhaps the most important day of the whole year to this school. Every parent and prospective parent comes to the Open House to determine if they will return the next year. Talk about pressure.

Well, I took it upon myself to make the music room look immaculate for the event. And I even set up stations throughout the room for parents and the kids to interact with. Mr. Drake, the principal, LOVED it so much and praised me the whole week for coming up with the idea.

The Open House went super. I asked the Lord to bless me so that my ear infections wouldn't inhibit me from being professional and happy with the parents. I knew he would help me because He has promised to be there for me if I've been trying my hardest to do all that I should.

Needless to say, I didn't feel any pressure during those two hours of the Open House, only had to lightly wipe my nose a couple of times and was SO happy the whole time. The room looked great, the kids and parents loved the activities I set out, and everyone had really nice things to say to me (like how their child has not stopped talking about music since I came to the school, or how their child has recently been coming home singing songs from music class and teaching them to the family). Jeremy had a fun time touring my room and the rest of the school. He said he loved everything I've done so far and was impressed how I did it in such a short amount of time.

As soon as the Open House closed, though, all the pain came back and I slept until Sunday morning. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father loves me enough to answer my prayers and help me with accomplishing my missions in life. I love Him for that!

I'll post pictures of my new job and the Open House soon!

I Got The Job!!

Last week I found a job opening on craigslist for a music teacher K-4 and 7th grade choir at a private school in Anaheim. My first interview went tremendously well. The principal said I would for sure be called in for a second interview. I was then asked to teach a demo lesson for some of their fourth grade students. I was able to practice the lesson on some music classes that I subbed for during the week and Jeremy gave me a blessing beforehand. What great tender mercies!

My demo lesson was observed by the principal, board of directors and fine arts director. They were all very impressed, asked me a few questions, etc. I felt REALLY good with how the lesson went. Two hours later, I got a call. The principal said he still had other people he was supposed to interview, but they already knew that they wanted me for the job!

I got the official job offer yesterday. Some of you teaching friends have asked what the pay will be. They will give me a full time salary of $40,000! I start this next Monday because their previous music teacher passed away. I will finish up this year with a subsidized pay and teach all of next year, too.

Jeremy and I are so excited and feeling super blessed. We recieved his promotion, a lower rent mortgage, and the teaching ad all in the same week. Heavenly Father really did have things in store for us. Waiting the 8 months to know what it was is all worth it now! And I'm glad to say that I figured out by the 2nd month to just trust in the Lord and not stress out about things. Something I recommend to all, especially during these tough times.

Now, I've got to move my teaching stuff into the school, figure out what the students already know, meet the faculty, make the room look like me, etc. This school has great resources, so I should be able to get going pretty fast. Jeremy has already said goodby to me, as he anticipates I will be sucked into the job like I was when I taught 5th grade last year. But I am committed to keep a balanced life and to not forget that he is my husband and best friend. I've also committed to keep blogging. So I will need y'all to help keep me on track!

I've learned some neat things the past couple of months. Once again, I've learned that if we do our part by paying tithing, living righteously, wisely managing our money, and having faith, we can have peace and protection. It might not be easy or what we expect, but we can know that Heavenly Father will take care of us.

My Favorite Beach Babes

The pictures came back from the beach photo shoot that I helped Brooke Nilsson with! Aren't Rylie, Zoey and Brielle beautiful!? Tara was an awesome photographer.

In case you forgot, these are the girls that I took care of until they moved back to their Texas home in December. I miss them soooo much. I called Brooke about a week ago to say hi. Rylie was so cute, asking me "Sarahlynn, when you gonna come to my house?" It totally melted my heart!Rylie

Zoey

Brielle

R & B Plus 3!

Over the phone, Rylie and I played house and some singing games that I had taught her. I also sang "I love Rylie, yes I do!" and she was so happy. I sang the tune for Zoey and Brielle, (who are walking now!) and they kept looking at the phone, smiling, then looking confused, perhaps wondering where I was. It was so neat that they recognized my voice and the song! Brooke, I love you and miss you. Your pictures turned out gorgiously!! All of our hard work was worth it!

My Miss America Answer

Saturday's Miss America Question
President Barack Obama is the first African American president of the United States. To you, does this mean that our country has finally outgrown racism?

Contestent's Response
Yes, I think it's wonderful that our country has finally been able to break through the glass ceiling and elect a black president. I think it shows that we are moving in the right direction as a nation.

Here is MY response- busting the 20 second time limit
Well, John, I think by asking this question you show that many of us are still struggling to remove our focus from the fact that Obama is black and put more focus on the merit of his policies and character. After his acceptance speech in November and his inagural speech on Monday, most of the comments that I heard from reporters and common citizens were about how they never thought this day would come and how amazing it is that he his black. To me, this shows two things. 1) American's have very little faith in themselves and the American dream. 2) America is focusing more on the color of our president than what he stands for, which, ironically, is what racism is based on.

The Faithless American Dream
Honestly, if you asked me a year ago if I ever thought I'd see the day when America would have a black president, I would have said YES and that it would be a female black president. (In fact, I remember telling this to my fifth grade teacher). I know that even though the American "system" isn't perfect, we've made huge strides in treating people of every color and background equally. I suppose some people thought "this day" would never come because of the oppression they have experienced. I won't deny that they experience oppression, but I ask, where was their faith in the American dream and the American people and ultimately themselves?

To some, their faith in the American dream rested in Obama himself. "He helped show the nation that anyone can achieve greatness, no matter his race." Shouldn't this be something we believe regardless of Obama becoming president?? Let's keep in mind that he didn't achieve greatness because a bunch of white or black guys suddenly changed the way America works. His mom taught him moral principles, she sent him to good schools, she made him accountable for his choices and he developed a desire to make a difference. Then he worked his butt off to do it--just like every other white, brown, yellow and red person that has made a difference.

The more I work with children and families of diverse backgrounds, the more I learn that the American dream is real for those that live by it's precepts: Morality, Education, Hard Work, and Wise Money Management. Most inequality comes from people either not knowing the proper formula or refusing to apply it in their lives, not because it is impossible to achieve.

Focus on the BLACK President
I feel like all of the focus on Barack being black has made our nation take two steps BACK, not forward. If we really believe that any man or woman can achieve high status based on his/her merits, then why aren't we talking about Barack's merits!?!? Why aren't we discussing his policies? I support Obama because of his knowledge, hard work, proactivity, and concern for the average American. I notice a lot of good he has done and really commend him for always working to make change. Can we talk about THAT!? If people really voted for him on these terms, then why didn't they say so when interviewed at the polls? Why did they simply comment on how badly they wanted to finally have a black president? That sounds racist to me.

Furthermore, if we believe in equality, then let's start treating Barack with the same scrutiny and judgement that we give all of our politicians! My concern is that all this talk about Obama being the first black president is clouding our vision. I'm afraid we will let our gaurd down and accept anything the Obama Administration does because, afterall, he's the first black guy to ever do this, so he must be doing it right.

It worries me that he allowed reporters and news stations in his office to witness every piece of legislation he signed this week EXCEPT for the legislation that gave more money to organizations that support abortion. Why did he hide from the press on this issue? Why isn't anyone taking a second look at this? Even if you agree with abortion, shouldn't you be a little concerned that the President did not allow the press to witness this signing? Don't we want a president that is confident in what he does, even if he approaches disagreement?

Please, let's not withhold our criticism toward Obama beacuse we're afraid of being called racist.

And when the next election comes around and we happen to elect a white president, let's sure as heck not say that we are taking two steps back because we no longer have a black president. By saying that, we really would be taking two steps back!

The Big "P" Word

Nope, the word isn't pregnant...yet.

It's the long-awaited-for PROMOTION!! On Friday, Hormel let Jeremy know that he will be promoted to a higher position and the long awaited news of where we will be moving to was finally made known. We're staying in Orange County!! YEAH!

We of course would have loved to try living in a new place, esp if it was on the East Coast or Texas since we have so many awesome friends in those areas, but we are very happy with staying in Huntington Beach. We absolutely love it here, and now we'll be here for at least another year, probably 18 months.

Also, now I can plan on teaching full time this fall without having to start over with paper work in another state. I've already got my CA credential, so that's perfect. In fact, I'm looking for a full time position now! Wish me luck.

And we are considering moving out of our apartment to a cheaper location. $1400 a month starts to eat at our budget pretty fast, and we want to by a home when we end up in Minnesota. So, we'll keep you posted on what we decide.

We are so blessed! Especially with the economy as it is, how wonderful that we are receiving a promotion. The timing of this assignment was perfect- even to the day- and I know that Heavenly Father's hand is in it. It's been nice to put our trust in Him and not be too stressed because we know that since we are doing what we should, He will bless us. And He is!!

Here's what we've been up to our 1st few weeks in 2009:

Griffith Observatory
We learned that this place is one of the top attractions to see in LA. Wow. It's up on the mountain, fantastic views of LA, right next to the Hollywood sign, free museum, free shows, cool astronomy stuff, free parking, nature walks. What more could you want for the perfect date?


Getty Museum
This turned out to be the most beautiful museum I've ever been to. And I guess it's famous. Totally free (just $10 parking, though). We saw works of Van Gough, Monet, Cezanne, a lot of naked sculptures, and pretty gardens at nighttime. I actually spent a lot of my time in the gift shop looking at children's books, but Jeremy wouldn't let me buy them. And I appreciate him for it.

Talks in Church
We had a fun time speaking in church last Sunday in addition to our normal teaching. Yeah, both Jeremy and I actually love to speak and teach. Call me weird, but I think people that don't want to speak in church are wierd. I admit that part of it is a little selfish-I enjoy hearing myself speak more than listening to all those typical boring talks. But most of it is that I love getting people to think more deeply and realistically about gospel principles and their relationship with Christ.

Bytheway, we figured out that all 4 of the older Zavoral kids have teaching callings (Melissa, Me, Jeremy and Zach). It runs in the family I guess.

Beach Basketball
We played one on one at the beach while the sun set. Our game was complete with one hot guy, a very attractive girl (I actually got two cat calls while we played), beach breeze, alpen glow all around us, pink horizon, orange ocean, palm trees, bikers, and surfers.

Then we watched the waves sparkle orange and silver like a looking glass. A pod of about 20 dolphins popped up 100 ft from shore. We could tell they were swimming in circles to bring the fish up to the surface. The birds came and took their stabs at the fish, too. We felt like we were in an episode of Planet Earth!

Eating Out
Thanks to all of the gift cards and coupons that we've been saving, we had a full week of eating out at Duke's, TGIFriday's, El Coyote, Mimi's Cafe, Olive Garden, Del Taco, and Yum Yum Yogurt. Next will be Red Lobster- we still have more to use!

STOMP Concert
You might have heard of them. They bang on garbage cans and stomp around a lot. It was awesome. They made percussive instruments out of brooms, plastic bags, hand-held lighters, metal folding chairs, and innertubes. The whole concert hall boomed with excitement. We found out later that a 5.0 earthquake took place during the concert, but no one ever knew 'cuz of the great noise!

New Rule for My Blogging Friends

I have a proposal to make. It's slightly out of frustration. But mostly all in fun and with a lot of friendly love...

From now on, if any of you- that means ANY of you, esp if you are on our Blog List- are going to be getting anywhere near Los Angeles, please don't hesitate to let Jeremy and I know!!! We want to see you! Even if you are with tons of family. We'd love to tag along just to see your kids and husbands and YOU. We can even take you to some really cool places that other tourists don't know about. Don't forget that we live in Huntington Beach, CA, which is right next to everything. We're 25 min from Disneyland, 45 min from Hollywood, 15 min from Long Beach and 2 min from Newport Beach. And we're only an hour away from San Diego.

I just thought I should make that clear since four of my very good college friends have come right to my backyard on vacation only for me to find out about it on their blogs three weeks after the fact! 'Cum on, folks. Let's really keep in touch. Otherwise why are we bothering to blog?!

Colorado Christmas

After the beach boat parade and taking a round of golf with my new b-day clubs (thanks Dad!)
we were crazy enough to step onto an airplane that took us from 63 degrees to a whopping 9 degrees in Longmont, Colorado.Even though we were freezing the whole time, we had a lot of fun. Here's the highlights!!

Nuggets Game at the Pepsi Center
We had 12th row seats, and they beat Portland.

Seeing our Higgins and Robertson Grandparents
So fun to visit with the best people in the world.
Mom, I still need the family shot of Christmas Day :-)

Gingerbread Contest with Robertson/Whitehead Cousins
There was a big debate about the best looking one. Tanya and I were on different teams, so there was a sister rivalry going on. Vote for either House #1 or #2 by adding a comment and then we'll prove that MY group's was the best. Click on the pics for a better view.

House # 1House #2Celebrating Our 3rd Christmas Together

Snowboarding Lessons with Tanya and Megan
Thanks to Lyman and Higgins Gparents, we finally got to learn how to snowboard. Jeremy got really good at it. I liked it by the end of the day. We're still sore, though.

Going to the Denver Temple With Stacy and Our Parents
We sealed some of our ancestors together. The Spirit was really strong and it was so cool to be there with one of my best friends!!

Avalanche Game at Pepsi Center

We were in the 9th row and got on the big screen! And they beat the Redwings after overtime and a shoot-out!

Don't you love the hat and scarf Grandma Robertson made for me?!

Newport Beach Christmas Parade

Right before we left for Colorado, we went with the Lineberry's to one of America's top ten holiday attractions: the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade!! People that own yachts, sailboats, and other expensive floating devices decorate them with Christmas lights. Then, they float around the harbor and play Christmas music. We watched two hours of beautiful boats. These pics really don't do it justice. Afterwords, we went to a fun diner in Sunset Beach.