Mandy's Blog

it's official...

2008-08-15T07:03:00.002+09:00

today is my first official day back at work. friends have trickled back in from summer holiday and the school year is about to begin.

i have spent the last few days in my classroom getting it organized and set up. so far, i have only rearranged the furniture two times. i am hoping that i am done with it, but who knows i might change my mind. i have already made out the schedule for my class which is nice to have complete. although, again, it is subject to change. yesterday i received my class folders which tells me who is in my class. i feel like it will be a good bunch of kiddos. i know some of them already from teaching the older sibling, after school swim, or just in the halls. it should be a great year.

today will be full of meetings and the usual welcome back brew-ha-ha. after lunch i think i get to work in my classroom some more which will be good. i have lots to do before the kids come on wednesday.....

wish me luck!

back in seoul.....

2008-08-09T06:51:00.003+09:00

this time of year is the worst for weather in seoul.....it's hot and humid. you feel absolutely gross and are required to take two showers a day. we call this time of year "two shower days". being a native texan you might think i should be used to the heat and humidity. this is true, but there is a difference here that we don't have in houston--we are out in the weather all the time. we walk everywhere. for instance, yesterday i gave a tour of the neighborhood and was completely drenched by the end. we also had an outdoor cookout yesterday evening which was hot and sticky. again, i was sweaty. my shirt is constantly soaked in sweat. fun, fun, fun. on the other hand in houston, one travels from a/c to a/c rather than walking out in the heat all the time. i also do think it is more humid at this time of year in korea than in houston. it was weird b/c yesterday when i was all hot and sweaty i went inside to a building with a/c and actually got cold. enough that i went back outside instead of stay in. so crazy.

there is something i do love about this time of year in korea though. the cicadas.....they sing all the time and i do love it. it reminds me of summer time as a little girl. some people complain about them here b/c they are quite loud, but i enjoy their music. nostalgic for me. i also feel the same way about crickets....something about these melodious bugs i love. warm childhood memories from the glorious chorus of insects.....weird, i am sure. none the less i like it and get sad when the weather gets cooler b/c the music starts to wane.

home sweet home...

2008-08-08T20:10:00.003+09:00

it is great to be back......

last night paul and i went to jenny's cafe in hongdae for dinner. we were hungry, had nothing to eat at the house, and also need to rally to not go to bed too early. things i did not realize i missed......the hot and sticky weather, the erratic driving styles of korean taxi drivers, the mosquitoes, and multiple showers in one day.....so fun!

we slept pretty last night which was nice. although now it is about 8:15pm and we are exhausted. i woke up at 6:15am and went to the gym. paul woke up early and was out of the house just after me to work in edae. he had much to report after his day of work and checking the scene out. it is common in korea for things to be open one day and the closed up the next. there was some closings in the area, but his favorite coffee shop is still alive. we did lose a few places, but so far the report has been good. after the gym i had breakfast with the new teachers and then came home to work on unpacking and sorting through all our stuff. it was a productive day. i had lunch with the new teachers again......cannot help the free meals and the lack of groceries at the house. :) then after came home to keep unpacking and organizing. i have the kitchen all sorted out. i need to attack the bathroom tomorrow. in the afternoon i volunteered to show new teachers around the neighborhood and then to the grocery store, sahruga. it was fun and i was able to get some essentials.

dinner was another free meal for the new teachers......a cook out. we were not the only returning teachers, so we were not free loading. it was nice, but really hot and sticky. paul and i ate and then came home.

now we sit waiting for it to be a reasonable time we can get in bed. we are fighting the jet lag, but hoping if we stay diligent our bodies will adjust soon. :)

the cats have been super lovable today. it has been really great. i missed them and from their actions today they really missed us. i need to clean streaker's tank soon, but he is doing well also. :)

SSSSCCCCCOOOOOORRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

2008-08-08T02:43:00.003+09:00

our travels home to korea were pretty normal to be honest. at least after the initial crappy situation with the cancelled flight on tuesday morning when we were originally scheduled to leave. my brother, God love him, picked paul and i up at 4:17AM on wednesday morning and drove us to the lovely intercontinental airport. we checked in our luggage without a hitch.....3 trunks (each around 67lbs. each) and one small rolling suitcase (approx. 23lbs). yeah for packing queen mom! she rocks and does a phenomenal job helping me getting all the goods into the suitcases.

paul got some morning grub at mcdonald's and we waited to board the plane. we sat in economy plus (6 extra inches of leg room, baby) and also in the front so there were no seats in front of us....double score! it was nice....we both slept most of the way since we had stayed up all night just hanging out.

in san francisco, we hit the ground, checked out the lounges (they are ok) and waited for the seoul flight. while in the international lounge we saw many olympic athletes. there was a small group that we saw too which i think was the USA Triatholon team. it was pretty cool i thought. (anne, i thought of you friend!!!)

we ate lunch and then sat at the gate.....we had about an hour before things started moving.,..i read, paul played DS. once the gate agent arrived paul inquired about moving to business, but the only reply she gave was that it would vost us $643......um, no. bummed we just sat there and waited. then another gate lady called paul's name.......there is hope....maybe, just maybe. well, ladies and gentlemen, we SSSSCCCCOOOORRRRREEEEEDDDDD!!!! upgraded to business for free b/c the airline needed our seats in economy plus. WWWWOOOOOOO HHHHOOOOOOO!!

we could not believe it.....what are the chances being bumped up on the flight out of seoul and then AGAIN on the way in.......CRAZY! we loved it and were able to get good rest on the flight. we watched movies, ate like royalty, and laid the seats almost flat. it was incredible, indeed.

a fellow teacher was on the flight and she was having another teacher pick her up at the airport. luckily they had room for us, so we scored a ride home too sans the taxi system. it was nice.

we arrived home to a warm apartment in which we instantly turned on the air con and to two kitties that seemed a little freaked out by our homecoming. they did give it to my loving eventually, but it was a challenge at first. :)

we are home, sweet home!!! it feels so good to be back!!!

summer holiday....

2008-08-02T22:42:00.002+09:00

i know it has been a while since i last posted, but most of the time has been spent running here and there. i have been in houston since july 8th and now are leaving soon to return to korea. the time in houston has been super busy. filled with visits with family and friends, shopping, and many other errands. it has been great to see folks and catch up. i think paul and i are ready though for the return to seoul. we want to sleep in our bed, love on the kitties, and be able to have some down time before the school year kicks off.

thanks to all our family and friends who made our time in houston memorable and fun! it was great to see you and hang out.

more soon.........

saturday...

2008-07-06T13:28:00.002+09:00

again paul and i are up way before we should be. paul got his new computer so he has been getting it all set up. he has been waking up at 5ish each morning while i have been able to sleep a little longer. this morning i went to the bathroom, slid back the door, and found paul on the bathroom floor with his new computer sitting on the toilet working away. i had to giggle. i asked him why he was there and such, and he said he did not want to bother me while i slept. awww, he is such a sweetie. i love him!

then we took rebecca and her mom to the train. they were headed to the city to play and explore. we went to lunch at shabu way, one of paul's favorite places...japanese food. after lunch jason needed to go to the mac store and i went shoe shopping next door. upon leaving, steve jobs walked by us on the sidewalk. yes, steve jobs the founder and brain behind apple products. it was kind of nuts. he and his wife out for a walk. later i found out that they live just around the corner from the shopping area we were at. then we were off to REI. so fun! i tried on some shoes there, but did not find any that i am in love with. best buy was also a stop...the boys played video games while i perused the DS game aisle. nothing too exciting there. after best buy we went to target, trader joe's and a last stop for dinner at taco bell before coming home. :) woo hoo! dinner was exceptional.

now we are just hanging out at the house. jason has a project to do, i am blogging and playing on the internet, and paul is still working on setting up his new computer. a fun night at home. it is getting late so i might go to bed early again tonight. who knows....

san francisco, california

2008-07-06T13:07:00.002+09:00

after a wonderful time in napa, paul and i made our way back to the city. we stayed at the intercontinental san francisco which is an amazing place. paul makes most hotel reservations using hotwire which is the site to use if looking for a deal. we unloaded our bags and then returned the rental car. for lunch, we ate at the great steak escape. it was ok. poor place had some tough acts to follow. still suffering from jet lag we went back to the hotel for some rest and relaxing. paul made us appointments to have massages at the spa in the hotel that afternoon. man, that was wonderful! i really loved being pampered. afterwards, we again went back to the room to be bums and ended up falling asleep. we did not wake until almost midnight....no dinner or anything. oh well...

the next day we had breakfast at mel's drive in around the corner from the hotel before 8am. yes, we can get up that early. it was good. i had homemade biscuits and gravy with a scrambled egg. good but no where as good as mom's. i cannot remember what paul had, but i think it was some southwesterny type of deal with eggs. ??? peet's coffee and tea was next on the hit list for the day. we had to walk a few blocks and sat for a while enjoying the people and scenery. it was early so many people where going to work.

after peet's we walked around town for a while. we did stop a few places but for the most part just walked and meandered. just before lunch time we took the bus to the wharf for some clam chowder and then walked down the pier to where the tour to alcatraz left. paul had purchased tickets online for us to take the tour of alcatraz. neither one of us had gone over before so it was something we had been wanting to do. the ferry ride only take about 15 minutes over to the rock.

once on alcatraz there is not a set agenda or tour. we did have to walk up quite a ways to pick up the audio tour. the audio tour takes a while, but is well worth it. it basically takes you through the cell house explaining different parts and also telling stories as you go. it was a really interesting tour. i learned alot and had a great time. really fabulous place. the tour ends at the book shop where you can buy all sorts of goodies. on the day we were there we also got to meet darwin coon who is a former inmate of the rock. he has recently written a memoir about his life including his time on the rock. he was there the last four years the prison was open and was among the last group of inmates to leave the island before it closed in 1963. we bought the book and had him sign it. i have already read the entire thing. it is a great story and inspiring too. i thought it was pretty cool that he signed the book and we got to meet him. we did walk around for a bit seeing different parts of the prison that are not on the tour. many of the places are closed for renovation and preservation. it is still a really interesting place to visit.

we took the ferry back and then made our way to the bus stop. we decided to have good italian food in the north beach area which is not far from the wharf. it is considered "little italy". many of the street light poles are striped with the same colors as the italian flag. dinner was just ok. i was not really feeling the food there, but paul was. we each had carpaccio which was good. then i had a ceasar salad i could not finish due to the small fish garnish they put on top. paul had pesto ravioli. we each had wine with dinner. mine was just ok again, but paul really enjoyed his.

after dinner we went back to the hotel again and called it an early night. the next morning we went to breakfast at denny's and then had a peet's. we had some time to waste as we had to wait for jason to wake up and then check out of the hotel. we ended up hanging out in our room until we had to leave for the train. rebecca and jason live in mountain view which is south of san francisco on the peninsula. to get there we have to ride the train from the city to moutnain view which takes about an hour. jason met us at the station and we came back to their house. it was great to see them both and get to visit. we ate lunch at a little mexican place in downtown MV and then walked around and poked into some shops. rebecca's mom is also visiting from nashville, so it has made for a full house of company. her and her mom went to watch some fireworks last night while paul, jason, and i ordered pizza, hung out, and visited. it was nice. i really enjoy their puppies too. they have two weenie dogs, shelby and lexi. lexi is a cuddler so i have been spending lots of time cuddling. shelby likes to place and be more active. both have been fun to play with and cuddle with.

our time in napa valley

2008-07-06T12:05:00.003+09:00

from the city we drove about an hour to napa, california. we arrived at this precious bed and breakfast called the candlelight inn. it is an english style tudor home and the place is fabulous! we would recommend staying there if anyone goes to napa. our room was cozy and quaint. we were pretty tired when we arrived, so we decided to take about an hour nap before going to dinner. we got cleaned up and headed north to a place in st. helena called go fish. paul had read about it online and fish is what they do. paul got sushi and a roll and i had fish and chips. the french fries were amazing! small, thin and crispy.....yum! i also had a glass of nickel & nickel chardonnay from napa. it was ok. after dinner we went back to the inn and went to bed early! we were exhausted.

our full day in napa began with three course gourmet breakfast at the inn. it was amazing! we had fresh coffee and juice then the eating commenced. the first course was fresh citrus with honey on top. then we had banana pancakes with caramel sauce and fresh bananas. wow! the last course was a artichoke and egg tart with tomatillo sauce and sour cream on top. it was the best breakfast i have had. so good. after breakfast we went to a place in downtown napa called copia. they specialize in wine and food education. we took a wine tasting 101 course at the suggestion of the inn keeper. it was really informative and i learned a lot. i do have to say though the two wines were disappointing. after the tasting, we went out to our first winery, trefethen family vineyards. the place was great. we were the only ones there at the time and the lady helping us with the tasting was wonderful. she was helpful and friendly. we tried many different kinds of wines including varieties of whites and reds. they are most known for their dry riesling which was superb! all of the wines we had were of high quality and tasted good. we enjoyed this tasting very much...very personal considering it was just her and us. great experience! she would not charge us either because she thought we were such a cute and happy couple.

lunch was at bouchon in yountville. this bistro is owned by a very well known chef, thomas keller. he owns and runs a place next door called the french laundry. the french laundry is rated in the top five restaurants in the world and one needs to make reservations two to three months prior to visiting. paul was excited to be tasting a small part of the thomas keller brain child. lunch was great. paul had a lobster and crab salad to start followed by olive oil poached salmon. i went with steak frites which is a pan seared prime flatiron steak served with butter, caramelized onions and french fries. i think it might have been the best steak i have ever put into my mouth. we had dessert next door at the bouchon bakery. little chocolate mini cakes that were no bigger than a wine cork.

after lunch we went out to the robert mondavi winery. we had been told this was the best place to learn about the wine making process from grape to bottle. it was indeed an experience and wealth of information. we went on a tour through the vineyards, fermentation area, two aging cellars, and then had our own little tasting. paul and i were not as impressed with these wines. they were ok, but not our favorite.

now that we considered ourselves wine snobs, our last stop was at a place that paul found online called the vintner's collective. it had reviews from the thomas keller as a great place to taste many different wines from smaller, low production wineries. so we had a tasting. christina, our lovely wine steward, was friendly and informative. all the wines represented here are small and not widely distributed. again, paul and i were not blown away by any of these either. it was fun and the company was fun and enjoyable. we bought two cool wine glasses from there with the vintner's collective logo on them. she also made reservations for dinner at the newest thomas keller creation, ad hoc.

we went back to the inn for a short nap before dinner. paul and i both have been fighting jet lag and it is a miracle we are still standing, but we knew we had to rally to make the day in napa worthwhile.

back to yountville for dinner at ad hoc-- temporary relief from hunger. it was so cool. the place is clean and simple. their menu is a daily set fixed menu served family style. the menu itself is in a brown file folder. the coolest part was that they had shiner bock AND cooper's lager from australia. i was already impressed just by the beer selection. dinner was phenomenal. it began with a salad of spring greens including pickled sweet carrots, marinated cucumbers, yellow wax beans, haricots verts with apple cider vinaigrette. yum! the second course was spiced beef tri-tip...braised swiss chard, housemade speck, baked russet potato with horseradish aioli. yum, yum! the third course was foglie di noce (italian hard cheese) served on toasted garlic bread topped with tomato basic marmalade. yum, yum, yum! the final course, dessert, was panna cotta......homemade with a pine nut cookie and rainier cherry compote & tondo balsamic. yum, yum, yum, yum!!! it was so AMAZING! we also had lattes to finish off the meal. it took about two hours to get through it all and we LOVED every minute of it. truly INCREDIBLE meal!

the totally crazy part of this last meal was that the waiter when to seoul foreign school in the 80's. his parents were in seoul teaching english as missionaries for five years. he was eight years old when he left seoul, but did attend kindergarten at SFS. SMALL WORLD! it was so crazy. he was super nice and i gave him my business card in case he returns to korea anytime soon. i still am in shock of this...

after dinner we went back to the inn to turn in for another early night to bed. jet lag is a beast. the next morning though we had another lovely breakfast. this time we began with a mixed berry and banana smoothie. then we had cranberry and orange scones with small mini muffins. the last course was a vegetable and cheese frittata. WOW! it was great and a nice way to begin the morning. we packed up our things and then checked out. we were going back to san francisco for a few days....

napa is an amazing part of the country and we highly recommend a visit.

supprting...

2008-07-06T12:01:00.003+09:00

please consider supporting our friend, vicki, as she travels to 11 countries in 11 months with a organization called adventures in missions. here is the link to her site. she is an incredible woman who has a huge heart for God and people. it would be great if you would consider supporting her and the group she will travel with.

the adventure....

2008-07-06T03:15:00.002+09:00

hi there....just now getting access to computer to be able to update blog. i am going to update in chunks because there is quite a lot to share.

paul and i made it to the airport in seoul and were able to use the new terminal for international flights. it is nice and quiet, but weren't that impressed with food options. we did get to go into the new lounge which again was nice, but the food there lacks too in my opinion. we decided not to eat, but to enjoy some coffee beverages from gloria jean. yum!

we went to the gate and waited for a bit. paul's name was called over the intercom and he went to the desk to figure out what the deal was. i was not sure what to think at this point......

he came back and said we were not going to be able to sit together...in business class!!!! what?!?!? crazy......the airline upgraded us because paul is a new gold member. WOW!!! happy anniversary to us. it was great and amazing. we ate lots of food, sleep pretty well, and got to sit in business. the seats are HUGE and there is tons of leg room. it was a great way to begin our trip and anniversary!!!

we arrived in san fran super early and sat in the mall just hanging out. we could not pick up the rental car until after lunch. i went to borders and perused, paul played DS...we just sat and waited.

once we had the rental car, we made our way to napa, california where we stayed for the next two nights. woo hoo!!!

and we are off....

2008-06-30T10:18:00.000+09:00

the adventure begins....

the packing has commenced....

2008-06-29T19:48:00.003+09:00

such a process it is for us. paul just throws his stuff in a bag, but i am a pile maker. i make lots of piles and sort through what i think needs to go and what must go. i started a few days ago after ms. lee came on thursday. i did it so i would not wear any of the clothes i want to take with. she did the laundry, so i made a pile of clothes. then i make piles of the other things---books, camera gear, crochet project, gifts and other things for folks, stuff i want to take, etc. then we have to charge all of the electronics as well. gosh, we have so many. i don't realize how spoiled we are until we go to charge everything---camera battery, iPods, nintendo DS, palm pilot, korean cell phones. man, there is so much to do. paul has been working on his travel entertainment---downloading games for his DS via the R4. he has been pretty excited about some of the games he has found.

once we have sorted ourselves out then we move on to the house. we clean out the fridge, put coats into the closet inside the house from the entryway, and move shoes. with the humidity here we also have to put out these deals called hippos. they are small plastic boxes that have some material in them that absorb moisture from the air. they have pebble like stuff inside and when we come back in august they are fill of liquid. they work and everyone puts them all over their houses---in closets, in drawers, on shelves, all around---i am sure you get the idea. we are going to unplug stuff too. just overall preparing the house to not be lived in for five and a half weeks. ms. lee will still come and check in.....clean up......make sure all is ok. we pay her through the summer even though we aren't here. some people leave a crazy list for their adjuma to work on over the summer---clean the curtains, windows, clean out this and that. personally, paul and i aren't demanding. we don't mind that she has a lighter load. i am just happy to have her and that she cleans what she does. we are so laidback adn flexible.

we also have to move the litter box for the kitties. we are closing the door to the office and bedroom this summer as they were upset with us last summer and decided to pee on the mattress. eeewww, i know. so we are prepared to "fight" back this year........no access to the bedroom. ah ha! we are so smart and witty. we are paying a lady to come in and feed them. her name is diana and she actually lives on campus with the pastor of seoul union church. her name is diana. she also will feed the fish, "streaker".

yes, i said fish. we now are the parents of a fish....we adopted him from our friend isaac mills before they left. they weren't sure what to do with him, and i thought i would help out. streaker was a gift to isaac for his birthday. although he did have other friends in the tank, none of them seemed able to survive for unknown reasons. i do have to say that isaac was quite pleased to know i would adopt him and care for him. i plan to take him to the classroom in the fall. i am praying that sam and india don't plan an escape for streaker while we are away. we have strategically moved furniture to make it more difficult to get on the counter. streaker's small tank does have a secure lid also which should keep them away. sam and india do fancy sitting and watching him swim around. we have had to intervene with the squirt bottle when they get too close. we don't want to freak out streaker with a bit cat staring at him.

we are working on the packing......it is such a joy. we leave monday morning..........we should be on the airport bus at 11:00 or so. yippee. i will be happy to be on the bus and ready for the next adventure of the summer.

lazy days....

2008-06-27T14:40:00.002+09:00

i am having one today. these are essential to a great holiday in my opinion. i wake up when i want, stay in my pajamas most of the day, and do a lot of nothing. just be at home and love it. paul and i have been out most of the days this week, so i was ready for a lazy day. we only have two more days in seoul before we are bound for the states.

tomorrow will be a day of last minute errands. sunday we plan to stay home to pack and prepare the house for the time we are away. then monday morning we are on our way......the adventure begins.

it is hard to believe that we have not been to houston or america in a whole year. i am looking forward to the visit and getting to see family and friends. i know houston is going to be different from the last time we were there. i am looking forward to going to church and hanging out. eating at some of our favorite places and getting to shop at favorite spots too. i do have a list, but will make sure to soak up the time at home. surround myself with folks i love and catch up on their lives.

18 more days until....

2008-06-20T22:53:00.004+09:00

i am in houston for the holiday. i am looking forward to visiting with family and friends. it will be great to catch up with folks, hang out, relax, and do some shopping. i am also sad though. i have had a hard week of goodbyes. some of my close friends here in korea have left this year for new adventures. the mills family is returning to their home in northern england and vicki is going on a world race mission trip where she will travel 11 countries in 11 months. i know that God has plans for each and every one of these folks as they move on, but it makes things sad for me. i don't want to be the "don't leave me" friend because i know that God has a bigger and amazing plan for them, but part of me does want to be that friend. i realize that just because i move or they move does not mean that our friendships have to stop. i have learned about this since i left home and moved overseas. i have struggled with life continuing on without me in houston.....my friends go through things i want to be there for. argh. i just keep praying that God will do His thing---comfort my heart, comfort their hearts, and keep us all in touch. i have to trust God knows best, even though i struggle to find peace in saying goodbye.....it's not goodbye, but see you soon!!!

gotta love the heat, humidity and the mosquitoes...

2008-06-20T13:04:00.002+09:00

yes, summer has begun in korea. so much fun. i have been spending much time sleeping recovering from a long year of teaching. i also have been spending time with friends who are leaving korea for either the summer or for good to begin new adventures. life has been good so far.

i think i have figured out that i cannot drink caffeine anymore as it upsets my stomach. i am currently avoiding it to see if that truly is the culprit. we have been killing lots of mosquitoes lately which stinks. they usually attack when i am sleeping and buzz in my ear which is really annoying. i give a yell and paul appears with the bug zapper in hand. many times we find the mosquito, but sometimes we don't. argh. this morning i have a bite my thumb. odd place for a bite and kind of annoying to be honest, but i have applied some itch cream and hope it works soon.

we are also getting ready for the trip to the states.......the closer it gets the more excited i become. i do have to admit though that i am a bit worried about going back. nothing major, just worry about being completely overwhelemed with choices at the store and such. i know this seems weird to those of you who have never lived abroad, but it does worry me a little. i am sure i will be fine. i do have a list of things we must import back to korea. it gets shorter each year that i am here........paul is great at finding things we like to use here. i am sure there will be last minute impulse imports. i am going to try really hard to stick to the list though. :)

wow....how time flies....

2008-06-13T13:09:00.003+09:00

today i am celebrating the end of yet another school year. today was the last day of school for the kids and it was great. we had some fun times together this year and i was sad to see them go. i have one student who will not be returning to SFS in the fall, but will go home to Israel. i will miss her dearly and hope to stay in touch with her. i also pray for the safety of her family as they return to a country that is not at peace. i pray that she will find comfort and peace in her new school and rekindling friendships as she returns after being away for three years. it was a bitter sweet day!

on another note, i also realized that i have just completed my fifth year of full time teaching....crazy! it seems like yesterday that i graduated from university and was beginning. each day that i teach i still feel new at it. there are so many challenges with each group of kids that the "tricks" have to be constantly adjusted to fit where they are and their needs. i guess that is part of the excitement of teaching.....nothing is always is the same.

i am looking forward to a restful summer to recharge for the next year. teaching is great, but it does drain a person on all levels---physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally. it is so crucial for the break so that teachers can regroup, restore, recuperate, rest, and relax.

here's to another great year of teaching!!! :)

it's finished....

2008-06-09T04:16:00.003+09:00

the last set of report cards for this school year and i manageed to finish with 3 hours 45 minutes to go. go me! it is such a relief to have them done. earlier this evening when i began i was pondering what would be better----writing report cards or puking my guts out? it is hard to decide. i know that i can list many other things i would rather do than write reports. i love my job and the kids, but by far writing reports is the part of my job that i dislike the most. so tedious and monotonous.....ugh!

no more for about another 4 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days........

yes, i did figure it out on the calendar.....i am already not looking forward to them. yuk!

My nephew, Josh, is in China....

2008-06-09T01:11:00.002+09:00

singing!!! He is there with the Houston Children's Chorus. He flew into Shanghai on Thursday and is spending the next few days in Beijing before traveling back to Shanghai. So far they have totally done it up right. Temple of Heaven with an impromptu concert in front of the temple, then they went to see the Chinese Acrobatic Theater. They hiked the Great Wall and visited with some kids at Sun Village. It sounds great and I am so excited for his adventures there.

Here are some pics so far...

Using those chopticks...so proud!

Singing away...probably in Chinese....he is the light haired kid second from the right....

interesting news....

2008-05-08T17:19:00.003+09:00

each day i have this routine that i go through usually while eating breakfast. i get online to check emails and then check friend's blogs. the last stop i make on the web is to google news. i figure i get all the top articles from many resources all on one space. it is really interesting to check out, if just for the headlines. today i was checking google news in the evening before dinner and saw this headline that caught my eye, "platypus looks strange on the inside, too." i had a look and learned some really interesting facts about this peculiar animal. paul and i saw some while in australia at the wildlife sanctuary, but weren't that interested then. i do have to say that today's article really piques my interest to learn more about this animal that stumps many scientists.

hhhhmmmmm.................

change of summer plans

2008-05-03T16:52:00.001+09:00

here is the new plans for the summer for us.......it is still a little tentative as i am waiting for a new e-ticket from the travel agent confirming dates.

june 30th--paul and i leave korea for the states and arrive in san fracisco, california
july 8th--i fly to houston to hang out for the rest of the break
july 21st-ish--paul flies to houston to hang out
august 5th--paul and i leave for the return trip to korea

just wanted to keep everyone in the know about the dates we will be around. we are both looking forward to seeing family and friends while we are home. :)

one more thing to check off.....texas treats

2008-04-29T22:47:00.002+09:00

once a year folks in the elementary school volunteer to take a wednesday morning to provide treats for the staff. tomorrow it's my turn. so today and yesterday i have been busy baking and getting ready for the big day. so far my theme has been texas treats. last year i did the same. this year i am staying with the tradition and have made treats that remind me of home or sound more texas-y than most.

here is what's on the menu at the corral---
chips & salsa
guacomole & sour cream
cowboy cookies
chocolate pecan pie bars
banana bread
hickory-smoked western dip mixed with cream cheese & crackers
choco-rocks & dried cranberries
granola
banana chips

the last few things are a bit random, but i had extra and thought i would throw it in with the rest of the nibbles. hopefully i can manage to get it all to school without major issue.

happy texas treating!!!

only 7 more weeks.....

2008-04-25T15:57:00.002+09:00

i cannot believe that i am in the last quarter of this school year already. i know in the previous post i mentioned how crazy things are going to be and they have. although i have a great grade level team that i work with and we have been helping each other tremendously. it has been wonderful. i know that i could not do it without them.

the past few weeks i have been able to check off many things on the list---social studies celebration, report cards, parent conferences, one field trip and some other minor things also. although this week has brought some other school issues to the surface, it is going to be ok.

next week we are in the full swing of rehearsals for the 4th grade production of james and the giant peach and the chapel we are doing. fun, fun, fun! i will be teaching in all the little moments here and there in hopes to cram in more curriculum as i can before the end of the year. it should be prove to be quite interesting. today we made the schedule for rehearsals so i am going to get creative.

for a while now i have had a few things on my heart that keep tugging and reminding me they are there. one of those is to be intentional about being more creative and artsy. part of that includes taking art classes which i have had no luck finding so far. i have been looking since arriving in seoul.....sometimes more often than others, but still. i did buy some fun supplies recently over the spring break holiday and have been doodling here and there. i am struggling with confidence in my ability though too which is not always fun to deal with.

secondly, i keep thinking about what God has in store for me and for us. i would love to take more art classes for art education when we return to the states. i also have a desire to work with kids in a form of urban ministry or something. not sure what it looks like or would be, but praying that God will show me what that is and looks like. i read online at the university of texas website about their art education program, but also a program in theater with youth. i would love to use the arts as a way to reach kids for relationships. so who knows........just putting it all there.

we are off to dinner soon..........chinese dumplings.....yum!!!

9 more weeks, 7 of which are going to be nasty....

2008-04-13T22:53:00.002+09:00

i am thinking about just beginning the IV drip of caffeine tomorrow since for the next seven weeks my life is going to be massively, chaotically, crazy busy. there are only nine more weeks of school, but as i mentioned the next seven are going to be the most insane. the things that are happening are good, just many of them in a small amount of time.

for instance, this week entails resizing photos for the 4F candids page in the yearbook, writing report cards, a crazy 7am production meeting for the 4th grade play--james and the giant peach, an after school meeting, a day of social studies celebration, bookmaking, teaching, and all the other things that come up here and there as a human being. this is just week one of the seven. aaaagggggghhhhh!

i know that things are going to get totally mad. i just pray that i can hold it together and not let the list of things to do completely overhwhelm me. i have to remind myself to focus on only one thing at a time so i can make it through all of this. God give me the guts i need to get through all of this, please.

a nice reminder.

2008-04-09T17:24:00.004+09:00

today is wednesday and it is the late day for me. i teach bookmaking after school and then i help one of my students with her math homework. i am usually at school until 5:15ish.

today was the usual although i took the bookmaking kids on a "field trip" to the 3rd grade talent show. afterwards i still met with my student, but she has caught on to her math homework and whizzes through it. she and her little sister went down to watch the high school soccer game on the field a little early. a few minutes after they left i had another teacher pop in and then my student's dad. the dad had lovely things to say about how i have inspired her to read, read and read some more. even the little sister has become inspired too as to not be shown up by big sister. it was quite nice to hear especially when sometimes i feel as if i am a broken record saying the same stuff over and over in different ways. then after he left the teacher who had popped in also said that she thought i was a great teacher and that teaching is my calling. wow.....

in a job like teaching many times those small, kind words are the one little thing that keeps you going or makes your day worth it. no matter what kind of day you had or what students you wanted to strangle, the words can make the job worth getting out of bed for.

i think that God knows that i need these little reminders to keep clued into the bigger picture-- that He has chosen me for this job. even when i feel completely inadequate or like i am not connecting with my kiddos, He sends little somethings to make me remember that God has a plan and that He will give me the tools i need. Even if it's just a little boost here and there all i have to do is focus on Him and let my heart seek Him.

tuesdays = nostalgia

2008-04-08T20:56:00.002+09:00

a few weeks ago i learned that tuesday is the day the cafeteria makes sandwiches for the early childhood grade's snack time--pre-school, junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten. not only are they sandwiches, but they are jelly sandwiches with good, fluffy brown bread. yum. they also make cheese sandwiches, but i have not tried them. i much prefer jelly ones. i had some at a staff meeting where one of the SK teachers brought the leftovers to share with us. i had quite a few that day. since then i usually go down after school sniffing for an after school snack on tuesdays. the last few weeks there have been no leftovers. :(

today one of the SK teachers sent up three quarter sections of jelly sandwiches just for me. all for me. it was such a joy. as i bit into each one it brought back the best nostalgic feelings of being a kid. the bread is really nice and the jelly is strawberry. gosh, what a few bits of heaven i had today. i love jellly sandwiches......not just any ones, but the ones from the school cafeteria on tuesdays.