Procrastinations and Ventings of a Moody Woman

2007-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I graduated on Saturday! My mom, brother, grandmom, and grandad all came out to the windy city to see it. The whole family--at least that's what we told people. I was unpleasantly surprised, however, to find no diploma in my diploma holder. Apparently, I don't officially graduate until they make sure I didn't fail anything this semester. So, we'll see.
This week I am back at Grace Community Christian School subbing for the class I student taught in. I am doing just about as much work as I was during student teaching, and I'm actually getting paid now. Albeit I'm still doing the work of a teacher and getting paid even less than they do, but I suppose this is still better than before.
I still do not have a job for next year. I am waiting to hear from the public school. I may teach either fifth grade or eighth grade LA next year, but I guess I might not find out until June.

2007-04-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

It is about a month until graduation, and I have enjoyed student teaching a lot more than I expected. I still haven't figured out what I'll be doing next year, but I hear that G-mom, Aunt Denise, and Kara were working dutifully on that during their ski-trip so that's a load off.

Well, I keep busy here between student teaching, finishing my final paper for college, and studying for my teacher certification exam; but I still wind up spending a lot of time on my daily commute. We are doing a poetry unit in the seventh grade class I am teaching, and I decided to write something to show them you can continue to enjoy poetry after the ripe old age of thirteen. So, this is my nod to the daily commute. I hope you all enjoy! Here's a picture of my new car for anyone who hasn't seen it. A little background info for my daily commute...

Road Rage

La-dies and Gen-tle-men!

Con-di-tions are per-fect!

A clear blue horizon,

A track without defect!

All Racers: Take your mark!

Control your racing hearts!

Shift gears straight out of park.

The victory’s how you start.

First goes Mr. Midlife

He’s convertible clad

Cuts ‘em off; he jackknifes

He’s winning by a tad!

But trouble’s on his heels,

Bob the Builder’s not far.

Driving his eighteen wheels

Straight Oooooo-ver Mid-life’s car!

Bob’s a determined man;

He keeps a steady pace,

But mama minivan

Is out to win this race!

She has a support team:

Pit crew from the carpool,

They’ve cooked up quite a scheme

On their way to grade school.

Mama pulls a lever

Rocket boosters appear.

My! These kids are clever.

Ha-zy smoke, ma-ma’s clear!

Mean mama minivan

Has taken clear control.

Seems Mama is ‘Da Man!

Vic-tory-’s in her soul!

Hark! What is that we hear?

Evel Knievel’s bike?

The man who knows no fear!

He’s here, ready to strike.

Folly fuels his passion,

Weaving through speedy cars.

Touting leather fashion,

He’s quite the rising star.

Evel’s a crowd pleaser.

He’s circling around mom

Just trying to tease her

Before he drops the bomb!

He’s now popped a wheelie.

Taking first with a buz.

He’d have won ideally,

But he upset the fuz.

A traffic violation

Removed him from the front.

It’s mama’s salvation;

She’s laughing at his stunt.

In a stunning upset,

Mama takes the win!

Greatest victory yet,

Can she do it again?

Both losers and winners,

The rivals face their days.

Driving home to dinners,

This game again they’ll play.

Now, though, they must shift gears.

Mama’s just a mother

And Evel’s full of fears.

Bob works like all others.

Midlife’s a normal man

These warriors carry on

With no thanks from their fans!

Their need for speed withdrawn.

Until they meet again

On the fateful race track

Then all their evil twins,

Who race their cars come back!

2007-03-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Weddings, Spring Break, and Twenty-Two....
I am on Spring Break right now having a little rest from the Student Teaching madness. On Saturday, Jenni, one of my best friends was married. I posted some pictures of the wedding. I hope everyone enjoys the one where Jay snuck into the photo.
I found out I did not get the Teach for America position I applied for. So, currently I'm trying to figure out my life and what I'll do next year.
I turned twenty-two yesterday, which seems old to me currently, but then again I now am with twelve-fourteen year olds every day.

2007-02-02T17:25:00.001-08:00

This was my first week back in Arizona, and my first week student teaching. I am teaching 7th/8th grade language arts at Grace Community Christian School. The students are reading Johnny Tremain and The Bronze Bow. Next week I start teaching instead of only observing.
So far student teaching is pretty boring. I was so bored I asked my teacher to give me work, but then I had to organize things. I hate organizing things, so I think I will at least pretend to busy next week.
I am also working on things for after graduation. I have to send out applications, and am applying for something called "Teach for America." It is an organization modeled after the peace corps that sends out recently graduated college students as teachers to the lowest achieving schools in the nation. I have my final interveiw february 13, and after that I will know whether that will happen and have a better idea of what to pursue next.
I am also getting ready for a couple of weddings I am in that are going to be in March and July. In one wedding I will be wearing the getup of dream barbie and in the other a lovely green number with sleeves. Oh the fashion travesties committed in the name of love!

2007-02-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

2006-10-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Intellectual Idol and Other Such Nonsense

Well, being in college, has me actually feeling rather intellectual these days. Although, I must admit that half of my classes still consist of coloring pictures... Anyways, I have been studying for a week straight. I have been doing work on an apologetic argument (if you are wondering what apologetics is, you should know that it is a class on the art of apologizing, which is an extremely necessary feat for any evangelical Christian) called "the argument from consciousness." I had to write this paper and give a presentation on it, and I havn't seen the light of day in a while. I am also learning about Einstein's general and special relativity in science, and I must say that it really blows my mind. I actually dreamed I was in a space ship watching the Doppler Effect and the dilapidation of time the other day. Yes, I know I have a problem.
Anyways, last night our floor threw an open house and we themed it around American Idol (with a twist); it was intellectual idol. We made our guests debate the following thesis: the practice of keeping animal pets is detrimental to society. Then, we judged them, and I was the "Simon character" if you know anything about American Idol. You might be suprised to find out that the affirmative side won, and we did decide that the practice of keeping animal pets is detrimental to society. What do you think?
Here is a picture of us three judges:

2006-10-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

So, I've been accused of looking like the little mermaid on several occassions now.

2006-10-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Do blondes really have more fun?
We shall see...
Yes, I died my hair red. Technically, it is a light auburne. Washes out in 28 washes, but I kinda like it.
My room mate died her hair too.
Happy Missions Conference.

2006-10-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Hamlet at the Shakespear theater.

To be or not to be that is the question... All the missionaries have come to ask us with regard to our future careers as we have Mission Conference this week.

Whether tis nobler to suffer the angry look by denying any ambition to become a missionary or to pretend I am packing my bags.

With regard to the Teacher's Convention methinks the teachers doeth protest too much.

2006-09-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

Korean Food, Not-So-Bad-Logic-Test, and Harry Potter
What do the three items above have in common with each other? Nothing, other than the fact that they characterize my life over the last couple of weeks. Well, in the interest of being brief I will try to give you a taste of all three at once:
If studying is any indication of performance on the Logic Exam, then I would get 100%.
Studying is not any indication of performance on the logic exam.
Therefore I did not get 100%.
[Invalid, fallacy of denying the antecedent]
Either I spent my time studying or I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
I did not spend my time studying, therefore I spent my time reading the first three Harry Potter Books.
[Valid, disjunctive syllogism]
All Koreans love to share their food.
Some of my friends are Korean.
Some of my friends love to share their food.
[Valid, categorical syllogism]
If my Korean friend sees I like a food, then she gives me more.
She sees that I like it.
She gives me more.
[Valid, Modus Ponens]
If I persist in writing in this style, then no reader will finish my blog.
Some readers have finished my blog.
Therefore I must not have persisted in writing in this style.
[Valid, Modus Tollens] [unfortanately for you this argument is valid, but not sound]

2006-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Back at School

Well, I am back at school finishing my last semester of classes. I posted some pictures from an outing my floor went to on Labor Day. We've been having a lot of fun, but it is strange knowing that I'm almost finished with college. Things seem really routine now, which is both good and bad. It is good in that I'm not easily stressed out by classes or enormous workloads, but bad in that it's not very exciting anymore either.
Today I have been threatened with the possibility of failing my first test in college. I hope that this will not come about, but my professor assures me that it will. The test is over the laws/rhetoric of logic; and, according to my professor no one has ever passed it. It's a nine page test that must be completed in an hour, and he says it is impossible to finish. He promises to curb, but only to an 80 (which according to him means we'll all still fail). Well, I'll let you know on monday if I actually did fail.
I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day.

2006-08-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

SuMeR aT a GlAnCe

16 Days Until I'm Back in Chicago

The Water Bottle Wins Again

Dallas' Wedding: Jenni (right) soon to be engaged

Summer Is Almost Over...This Post Will Be the Summer Review!

10 Good Things About AZ Summers:
1.) Desert Rain
2.) Sunsets Over the Mountains
3.) When the Pool Is Still Cold
4.) Flip Flops Every Day
5.) Snow Cones
6.) Walking in an Air Conditioned House
7.) Hours of Lost Episodes
8.) Late Afternoon Naps
9.) Frozen Water Bottles
10.) Too Hot for Neighbor Kids to Be Out Blocking the Road
10 Summer Highlights--Even Though There Are None In My Hair This Year:
1.) Although Starbucks once again refused to bring back the Tazo Berry Frappuccino, they did introduce a surprisingly good new drink--The Pomegranite Juice Blend.
2.) Wet Jumpers-- I have never liked jumping houses, until my job at Kid's Club introduced me to a combination of the water slide and the jumping house (very fun)!
3.) The Squirt Bottle vs. The Ash-- Discovering that the awful canine inhabitant of this house had an Achilles heel was definately a highlight of this summer.
4.) The Day I Watched Lost for Six Hours--I know this is a repeat from the other list, but this is seriously the best show I've ever seen.
5.) Listening to Avalanche (the new Sufjan Steven's Album) over and over again in my car--well my mom's car (thanks Mom)
6.) Listening to the Curious George Soundtrack (Jack Johnson) over and over again at work
7.) Going to bed at 9pm every weeknight so I could get to work before dirty dirty 6:30am
8.) Jon and Dallas finally get married
9.) Jenni and John finally get engaged
10.) Europe--Self Explanatory

2006-07-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry if I have offended anyone with the ummm scandalous picture, but as an academic professional I had to study educational theory and method in different cultural contexts. What I mean to say is that maybe Americans can learn something from our brothers and sisters accross the sea about how to teach the young ones. Here is my thesis: it is a good idea to teach children (young children) about art using nude models. Anyways, as I recieved complaints about not explaining my pictures last time, this is a picture I took at Versaille of an actual school group that they seated around this nude statue.
Well, life in Arizona is slow but very relaxing. Today I am going over to the grandparents to eat brisket and watch fireworks from the roof. On friday, one of my two best friends (Jenni Andsager) got engaged to one of my brothers two best friends (John Gittus), and they are getting married on March 10 (the day before Paul and I's birthday). Tommorow I am going with Jenni to help her start finding her wedding dress (will it be fun?). I am working at Kid's Club early mornings with a group of first graders and it is almost all boys. It is a lot of work, but I love the girls who are working with me in my room, so time is going by quickly, and I know I will be back in Chicago for my final semester very soon.
Well, I hope everyone has an awesome 4th, and Caleb and Lauri I am looking forward to hanging out with you two next week when you get here.

2006-06-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

We're back from Europe! The trip was absolutely amazing. Europe was just beautiful and it was such a valuable learning experience to trace the steps of so many thatI have learned about over the past three years. I can't tell you everything and believe me you don't want to hear everything. So, I will write the best and funniest thing we experienced in each major stop.
Berlin: If you look at the picture of me peering through the Berlin wall then you might be able to imagine the experience of standing in such a place. I was standing on the eastern sector and peering through to the abundant western. In that moment I finally realized just what it meant for the wall to break down. The eatern side was dismal and brown and just through the hole you could see the abundant greenery and a beautiful stream. The breaking down of the wall was really so much life coming through to those people. Anywhere you stand in Berlin you get the impression that you are standing on the threshold of a new world as there is so much change in the air, but that spot really encapsulated it all. It was quite the experience!
The funniest thing to happen in Berlin was eight jet lagged american women dragging their bags onto a bus and then about a half mile down the street. It is a long story.
Wittenberg:
Martin Luther's town was more preserved than I could ever have imagined. I was suprised to learn that it was a town of 342 at the time he was there. If you go to Wittenberg and then the Vatican you will really get a sense of what God did, because Wittenberg was no match. It felt very sacred to be there. It was amazing the significance "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (Luther's most famous hymn) took on when you sing it in his church.
The funniest thing in this town was undoubtedly going to the wrong Wittenberg. Our bus driver thought we were going to Wittenberga and drove us two hours in the wrong direction. The professors leading were so wrapped up in there lecturing that they didn't notice until we were actually in the wrong one.
Switzerland:
The best and funniest thing are one: the wrong Wheiler! Yes, once again we went to the wrong city, but no one could be upset about this mishap as it took us on an adventure to the top of the Swiss Alps, which I can say without exaggeration was the most beautiful place I've ever seen.
Italy:
I loved both Pompeii and the Catacombs. Seeing Ancient Rome was so amazing for me in light of my three years studying Latin and many classes in Ancient Christian history. You could never believe how well preserved the entire city of Pompeii is unless you went there, but it was so cool. When you put that snapshot in the context of early christians in ancient Rome you are blown away at the strength of faith and humbled by the reality of the threat it posed the Roman Empire.
The funniest thing to happen in Italy was my encounter with an eccentric and dirty Italian man on the train. I leaned up against the wall of the train, not paying attention, when someone grabbed my arm and stroked it three times. I thought it was someone from our group, but was disturbed to turn around and find an eccentric Italian man with a handle bar mustache and a bottle in one hand singing some drunken song and smiling at me. I quickly moved away from him. I then saw the face of one of my professors who was looking at him and turned to see what the man was doing. He was singing, making a face, and twisting his mustache up. Ahhhh, good times on the Roman subway.
France:
I loved the Chartre Cathedral. It was a medieval Cathedral with the best preserved Medieval glass in existence. We were taught by a very well-learned man (who actually had been there the last forty years ever since he wrote his doctoral thesis there) how to read medieval glass.
The guide was also a hilarious Brittish man. This quote was the funniest thing in France:
"Oh look, another Japanese Tourist. There are so many. We ought to go take their island. They can't be both places at once."
Well if anyone is still reading, thanks for being the most devoted fan of this blog--maybe ever.

2006-05-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have no pictures for you all. I promise my post-europe post will be littered with them. I am home in Phoenix for the first time in five months actually. What has changed? Well, it's hot. I guess that's the same, but it is a big change from Chicago.
I am working at Kyrene Kids Club this summer, which is an afterschool program for elementary kids. I am with the 1st grade group. I went to work for the first time yesterday and it was pretty decent.
In more interesting news, my mother and I leave for Europe tommorow! Well, kind of, we leave for Chicago tommorow and Europe on thursday. Also, Jon Heacock the former tenet in the house I now reside in (by which I mean he used to live here--in my room actually) is marrying my good friend Dallas Miller on that saturday we get back. Paul is one of the best men and Jay is one of the groomsmen (have fun trying to figure that out).
Well, in closing congratulations to all Dallas and Phoenix family on the big basketball wins last night. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

2006-05-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

My friend took this picture of me on our way back from studying at starbucks today. Studying, that's the name of the game this week. Studying, packing, stress, and conflict... That pretty much sums up my life this coming week. Okay, not really, there's always time to laugh and enjoy life. I believe that contentment is an inner attitude. But in all seriousness, I have been having a bit of a long week and could use prayer. I love all of you guys and will see those of you in Arizona in exactly one week. Wow! Almost There...

2006-04-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

They saya picture is worth a thousand words. But I have one word about my life right now: Procrastination... a picture is worth a thousand words.

2006-04-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend:
Thursday
4:45pm I am done with class for three days! The best Spring Break I'll get this year!
11:00pm Brittney is supposed to be arriving at my school, but I havn't heard from her??
Friday
3:30am It turns out Brittney's flight was delayed; finally she arrives!
4:30am Lights out.
10:00am Wake up time, my friend is only here for one day!
10:30am-6:00pm The longest and most random walking tour of Chicago ever to happen, which is led by yours truly.

Brittney and I took this photo in a giant silver bean. You might think I am joking, but I am not, the big bean is Chicago's newest landmark. Why is it here? No one really knows, but this is what you do in it; you take stupid pictures of yourself.
Here are some more coll pics from our tour!

6-8pm Dinner at the best pizza place in Chicago--aka Giordanno's with my two next door neighbors
8-10pm Ice Cream on the steps of Water Tower Place
11:45pm SLEEP!!!!
Saturday
6:30am Breakfast
10:00am Brittney Leaves
11:00am-3:30pm My friend Sarah and I plan and shop for hours to buy all the food for an Easter Feast for thirty hungry college students on our 150$ budget
3:30pm-7:30pm Writing a Unit of Lessons for 8th graders on "The Diary of Anne Frank"

7:30pm Let the Cooking Commence
Sunday
12:30am SLEEP!
9:00am Wake Up
10:00am-1:30pm Church
1:30pm-6:00pm COOK, COOK, Did I mention we cooked?

6pm-8pm Easter Dinner!!!!
8pm-9pm Clean Up
9pm-10pm Mess Around/Write This Blog
Monday
12:30am My Lovely Room Mate Get's Back to School and I get some sleep (Hopefully, this hasn't happened yet)

2006-04-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am feeling a little tired after spending the entire night dialoguing with my two new best friends--Robert Peterson and Edward Fudge. I had to write a theological dialogue on the two views on hell (it is eternal or it is destruction). Anyways, I spent all night writing from my own perspective and theirs. I'm having an experience kind of like Russel Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. I don't mean that I've become a genius--so I'll let you guess what I mean.
This picture is of my new haircut. I do like it, but I think I am wearing my hair up for Junior/Senior Banquet in a couple of weeks, so we'll have to see what I can do with these bangs.
For Easter weekend my good friend Sarah and I are cooking a big Easter Meal for all of our friends who will be here. I'm not sure how many people are coming, but I think this is going to entail a lot of food (we are charging 5$/head to cover it).
My best friend from AZ is coming on friday. There is no school because of Good Friday, so we can hang out all day!! I will try to update with some pics of the meal and Britt's visit next week.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Easter!

2006-03-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

These are pictures of the first grade class I've been with for the past two weeks (that is Spring Break of course). I was afraid I couldn't take two weeks of student teaching during Spring Break because I was coming of the hardest 3 at Moody I've ever had (I'm talking about academically). I had just run that camp, turned in a 30 page unit plan for one of my classes, and a couple of other huge projects, and then I finished it all off with three midterms. Then, on monday off to student teaching! So, it's been a little crazy.

Student teaching actually was a nice break, the family my friend Tami and I stayed with were so sweet to us. The 40+ hour weeks felt like nothing the way I've been running the past few weeks and accept for a tough bout with the flu it was an easy two weeks. I really hated the curriculum the school was under, because it was all about the worksheets and memorization (that is rote learning), but even that did turn out to be a blessing because I didn't have to put in the long hard hours that I probably would have on lesson planning (just because there wasn't that much you could do with it).

I look at it like this: teaching and learning are arts. If you give someone a paint-by-number, then you get what you get. You also suck a lot of the beauty out of it. Anyways, to make a long story short I didn't gain any amazing pedagogical skills, the theory behind this school was bad, and I really didn't develop my skills all that well; but it did remind me where my heart is in all this. I just love kids. Even first graders and even when I can't teach the way I want to.

I think I shall end with a couple of funny stories for the road for those of you dedicated enough to read through all of my rants on educational theories.

When I was teaching Bible we had to play this game where the kids identify whether certain qualities as being qualities of someone ready-to-serve or not-ready-to-serve. I made the mistake of not reading through the cards before I started the game. A lot of these cards were things the kids were unfamiliar with (so I explained them in simple terms). "Drunkeness," I explained, "Is when you've had too much alcohol to drink."

Then, this little kid with a mouth bigger than his entire body blurts out, "My big sister got sick from drinking too much alcohol... She threw up! My Dad was so mad!" This is a small school and small town and small church-- I'm sure mom and dad will be really happy about that one.

I guess this last story is more cute than funny so please discontinue reading if you hate cute: The teacher told my class that my professor was coming to evaluate my teaching and all of the kids were so excited--which seemed like a good thing. I figured it was probably not so good for my grade when several kids right in front of her blurted out, "She's older than Mrs. Hoffman! How old is she?!"

But that's not cute that's obnoxious. What is cute is that one of the parents told me her son came home and had the whole family praying for me. There are some good perks to a Christian School. We'll have to see if I end up in one as I just found out about two interesting public school opportunities I did not know were out there. Well I am impressed if anyone (besides you scanners whom I do not judge because I am one myself--but come on now you only read every third line or so) so I will be done for now.

2006-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Fat Tuesday Everyone,
These pictures are from a camp I ran this weekend for Inner City Impact, which is an inner city mission in downtown Chicago where I live. It was a camp for sonbeams, the fourth-sixth grade girls, and we went to Wisconsin. We aimed the camp at our kids who have been saved at ICI over the past year and the lessons I wrote were themed around "Salvation's Journey: The Road Trip of Your Life." Basically, it was salvation theology for kids. I taught on conversion, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance of the saints, and glorification.
The girls learned a lot, but it was a rough weekend just because they have behavior issues like no other kids I've ever worked with. Most kids you give them one warning and they are in tears, but with these kids I would have given them two warnings and as a consequence they would be missing a fun event and scrubbing the bathroom floor, but they would still be like, "I don't care!"
The truth is that they have major authority issues. Some of them have good reasons, because the only authorities they have ever known have been abusive, neglectful, and emotionally unstable. That doesn't make it any easier to deal with them, however.
After this weekend, I have a lot more respect for the missionaries at ICI who deal with these kids full time. In support letters and church reports everyone wants to hear big emotional stories and to see pictures of smiling little angels lifted out of poverty, but in reality it isn't that easy. The greatest thing these missionaries do isn't so much to have big breakthroughs, but to stand firm day after day and show the kids tough love. Sometimes it's not smiling angels or kids brought to the edge, sometimes it is just hard work and faith that God is working and will prevail even when you never see results or think these kids are just too far gone.
Once, when I was working in the hood with Big Brother Big Sister I came accross this door that said, "Don't Knock, Don't Come In, We Want to Be Left Alone." I think I have come to learn that Jesus ignores those signs on our hearts and on our doors. He stands at the door and knocks, even in the darkest places with the most outcast people. I praise God that He did that in my life, and sometimes when the work is hard and the results seem meager all I can do is pray that some how after my hand quits knocking they will hear His voice and tha He will come in and dine.

2006-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

I changed the name of my blog today, because I wanted it to be more funny and reflective of the actual content. Anyways, the picture is of me and my room mate (Carissa) after her final recital. I was quite happy because music recitals are quite dramatic and this was the end of all the drama in houghton 325!!! Also, it went well (which is always a plus).
Anyways, this week was Founder's Week at good old Moody, which is like homecoming in some sort of pseudo-weird world where no one has ever heard of sports and all that exists is preaching and traditional hymnody... Also there is no classes for a week (but the catch is that we are required to attend most of these sessions. So, it's kind of like a break, but not really.
Anyways, anyways, anyways, (just keeping my theme) I did get to see the pastor's wife from my church in AZ who went here, which was fun. I also did hear some great messages. I also procrastinated all of my assignments until today. I'm about to do them... Good Night and Good Luck.

2006-01-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

My friend who works for the school newspaper e-mailed me this picture today. It was taken in the pseudo-dining room we're forced to use right before Christmas when all the school donors were in town. Anyways, they had asked me if I would respond to a question and be quoted in the paper, so I was like, "Why not?"
Then, they asked me if I thought caffine was a christian drug! I started laughing, because this idea seemed ridiculous. It was, however, finals week and my brains are fried. Instead of saying something clever like, "No, it's a drug for mormons." Or something intelligent like, "it's not addictive to the point of damaging your body." I said the following:
"No caffine is not addictive... wait yes it is. Well, it's not bad for you... not as bad for you as um, real drugs." The end.
Luckily for me my friends did not publish my comment and I got a picture out of the deal. I like this picture, because I really didn't know he was taking it and it was totally candid. My room mate pointed out that I do slightly resemble a crack adict, but what can I say it was finals week. There was no time to sleep or fix my hair.
That was just a random story and picture for you all, but I do have something I actually wanted to say. I saw the best movie on Friday night (yes we can watch movies now) and everyone should go see it. As you probably guessed from my lovely picture I am talking about "The End of the Spear." It is a movie about the missionaries to the Aucka indians in Ecuador who were martyred in the late 1950s and how their families actually picked up the work of the missionaries in an amazing act of forgiveness. It will make you cry, but it is amazing and very factual (the documentary was shown in our chapel) as it follows the real story to perfection. You should go.

2006-01-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Photos courtesy of the great photographer Crazy Uncle

Happy UnBirthday to me!
Last night my mom and the grandparents threw me a suprise 20&3/4 birthday party. I will be student teaching on my real birthday, and will not be home until June. So we celebrated early. If anyone was worried about these pics of me pouring the drink, you should be! Just kidding, it was fake alcohol. Anyways, a good time was had by all and I was VERY suprised!
Tommorow I go back to Chicago. It should be a busy semester with 19 credit hours (the biggest load I've done yet) but I like a challenge so it should be okay.
A Special Note for Caleb:
I had a lovely day thursday and was blessed with the company of my dear cousin Lauri and my Aunt Kim and my Uncle Keith. I also saw CALEB!!!!! For reals, though, it was good to get to see you all again. I hope Parump gets a little better for you upon your return. Well, a late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. I love you guys a lot!

2005-12-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning... Yes, I know that is not a complete sentence, but it is a complete thought for me--which I will explain. You see I was not awakened; I woke up! This is big news, because this hasn't happened since Thanksgiving break about a month ago. Finals are over, my papers areall turned in, and in a few hours I am getting on a plane to go back to Arizona for three whole weeks!
I am a little suprised to be on the other side of last week and still retain my sanity. I had a lot of tests and papers and responsibilities with minimal sleep. To make matters worse I injured myself pretty good on friday. On thursday we got something like a foot of snow in one night--it was insane! Anyways, on friday I had to go observe an elementary school class and write a paper on it for my classroom methods and management class. I was observing one on the other side of town (down in Humboldt Park). So, I had to take the bus and do a lot of walking.
Chicago was pretty good about clearing the roads, but unfortunately a lot of the snowdrifts are moved to the sidewalk. So anyways, me and my friend who went with me were treading through these three foot snow drifts and we were wearing nice shoes because we were told to dress professionally. We got back to Moody at about 11:45 and lunch was closing in fifteen minutes. So we went quickly inside and headed for the stairwell to the basement where our cafeteria is located. I started to run down the stairway, but forgot that the bottom of my shoes were covered in ice! As a result, I cascaded down the entire stairway on my rear-end. Luckily for me I did slide mostly on my butt, because anywhere else would have probably ended in a broken bone or two. So I have some special bruises and have been in a little pain all week, but it doesn't hurt much anymore, so that is good. What's the moral of the story? Snow storms are a health hazard and we should all go to Arizona. So I am.
Anyways, today I am going to attempt to drag to suitcases around the city and even on the El, so wish me luck. Seriously, though, I'll be fine--because it's all in the shoes. It's all in the shoes...

2005-12-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

It is now December here in Chicago snow is on the ground, a chill is in the air (it would be quite the euphamism to say Jack Frost is nipping at your nose, because this chill is better described as Jack the Ripper), and it is ridiculously cold. You wake up in the morning and try to decide what to wear, but really the best answer is simply to wear everything you own. Anyways, in spite of the bitter cold, the snow is beautiful, especially against the backdrop of the city all done up for Christmas.
For those of you who did not spend Thanksgiving in Phoenix, I'll give a brief update on that. I got to go home; and seeing everyone was amazing. At first I was a little perterbed because I had so much work and it wasn't getting done, but seriously it was totally worth it. I think it was my favorite Thanksgiving I can remember having. It was the first time I got to hang out with my brother since he went off to college and it was so great to see what an amazing man he is turning out to be. It was so good to see Grandmom and Granddad, whom I never realize how much I miss until I see them again. It was so good to see my mom in person, and to see Jay who is like a foot taller every time I see him. It was also good to see so much of the extended family whom I don't get the pleasure of spending a lot of time with. Wow, I think that covers my list of family whom I was blessed to see.
The countdown is on to Christmas Break. Of course, that means I have barely left the library since coming back. I totalled up my papers for last week and I turned in 25 pages worth of writing. I think I have about 20 more due this week, but on the bright side the worst is over and finals sound like a welcome break to me right now. Well Merry Christmas Everyone. Can't wait to be at home in a couple of weeks.

2005-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I am so long between updates. Life has been really crazy and busy. I was very happy to see that Walker came into the world safely and I can't wait for Isabella to arrive. Life is such a beautiful thing and it makes me very proud to be part of this family which is so full of new life.
Things in my life have been somewhat difficult in the past few weeks. Once in a while you just get such a reminder that ministry (whether it is vocational or not) is hard work and that life isn't always a breeze.
For those of you who don't know, I am involved in several inner city ministries down here in Chicago. If you've never been in the midst of poverty and urban sprawl it is hard to believe that such places exist in the US. One of the things that I do is the big brother/big sister program. I have a "little sister" named Selena. She has a lot of faith and inspires me in so many ways, because I didn't have that much faith as a child and I never had to face such circumstances.
Last week, I found out that this summer she attempted to commit suicide. I think it really just shocked me to the core, even after three years of this setting, to think that someone so young could do something like that. I see God's hand in that she was not successful, but on the same note I know that it is because she is only seven and her childish mind does not know how to carry it out. All of this has been on my mind so much,but I pray that God would turn this evil into good of those who love him-- even her.
Our church in Arizona has also been having many problems. It makes me sad to see it, but reminds me that even the church is corrupted by sin.
Well, I think the tone of this post is a little down, but my spirit really isn't. As Thanksgiving approaches all of these trials serve to remind me how much I really do have to be thankful for. God has been so gracious to our family and I so soon forget that. Well, I can't wait to see so many of you at Thanksgiving and I love you all very much.

2005-10-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, for anyone uninformed about baseball, the sox did win. I didn't watch the game, but I learned that they won when a crazy party ensued on the streets right outside my window. Lines and lines of cars were going down the streets screaming out their windows and honking their horns. People were running around and dancing. Suddenly homeless man, drunken business man, and crazy frat boy were all the best of friends. People had costumes and air horns, yes, sleep was difficult that night. For me, the funniest part of the whole thing was watching it from the perspective of Moody Bible Institute.
One particular fan, who I would classify as a frat boy was yelling up at the 18 story boys dorm, which is right next to my dorm. All the boys in Culby had there windows open and were encouraging the fans on the street to go crazy. So he was having somewhat of a verbal exchange with the boys upstairs. He would yell, "White Sox!" They would all yell something that I could not understand. The whole exchange come to a head when the scrawny guy grabbed the edge of a car in some kind of an attempt to turn it over. Suprisingly (not really!), he was unable to turn it over. So he started recruiting from the dorm of future pastors and missionaries. "Come down here you wussies and help me." I couldn't hear their answer, but from his response I assume it wasn't favorable. Anyways, good times.
The video I made was played last night at the Informal show and was very well-recieved. Tuesday we start on the next show. My lesson for tommorow is in the works, okay I haven't started but today is definately the day.
Tonight the guys dorm is having Open House and our "brother floor" has prepared a night themed around trash. I'm highly skeptical and busy so I don't know if I'm going. Well, I think this blog is quite long enough. So, I 'm signing off.

2005-10-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Things here in Chicago are a little bit crazy right now as it looks like the sox are about to win the world series tonight. I actually believe people here are more excited then when the D-Backs won in Phoenix. Personally, I think I am a good luck charm for baseball teams. The last year I was in Phoenix the D-Backs won. The first year I was in Chicago the cubs came close and now it looks like the sox are about to win.
Anyways, filming our Haloween video was a lot of fun. We actually did end up spending almost the whole night in Doane and the sounds up there were quite unsettling. I'll bring home a copy of our video at Thanksgiving for anyone in Arizona who wants to see it.
On Monday, we are having a Halloween party at Inner City Impact. I will be dressing as a princess, Lari thanks for the help. If anyone thinks about it on monday please pray because there will be a lot of kids there who have never heard the gospel and I will be teaching on it.
I did finish my lovely book and turn in the review. The happy news is that I only have about three more papers-- this week=( (can you hear sarcasm over the internet?). Ummm yeah so I've decided from now on to acknowledge that I have only six days in my week (due to the fact that I never sleep on sunday nights) and refer to sunday and monday as sumonday.
Well, I think I will close this epistle with a few more jokes for everyone since I just ate an entire bag of laffy taffy the other day.

Why did the old man put his car in the oven?
Because he wanted a hot rod.
What do you call people trying to cross a busy street in LA?
The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Why wouldn't the elephant move?
Because his trunk was too heavy and he couldn't pick it up.

2005-10-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it is now Mission's Conference week down here at Moody Bible Institute. Mission's Conference means a lot of things to us third year students. It means first, a week without having to go to class-- and no one can complain about that. It means second, a week where more missionaries than you could possibly imagine telling you why God's plan for your life most likely includes living in a mud hut somewhere and eating bugs. It means third, a lot of homework.
Yes, this week I will be reading a little book called "The Torah's Vision of Worship" and attempting to write a book review on it. FYI, a book review is apparently vhastly different from a book report, and I guess I will be finding out how before I write it. Anyways, it really should be a fun week down here. Of course, they will bring in the resident crazy speakers like George Verwer (if anyone has ever heard of him then you know what I mean), but they always have some really cool stuff we get to hear as well.

2005-10-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Family!
I guess I am like the last person to start a blog. Well, I must say, you are all very funny people. I will tell you one joke, but it is not that funny...
Why won't the lobster share?
Because he was shellfish!

Wow, I'm sorry if anyone just took the time to read this whole blog. I solemnely swear to try to figure out what you are actually supposed to say in a blog before attempting to write another one. Well, I love you all. --The End