christmas and kids.

Today is the last day of school before winter vacation and the kids are all hyped up! (I'm taking a quick sanity blog break while they're at Media class) Just wanted to jot down a couple things that made me laugh out loud today:

(While giving me a Christmas present)

H: Mrs. Park, did you see the two chocolates I put in there?

MP: Yup, thank you so much!

H: There's two because one is for you and one is for...uh...your Park man! *giggle* I forget his name...

MP: You mean Mr. Park? :)

At our Lunch Bunch table

N: Mrs. Park, did you know that God made us?

MP: That's right...What did He make us out of?

N: Meat. For real.

heartbreaker.

There's a little boy, D, in my class - new to this country, as he just moved here last year. The other week, a co-worker shared a bit of his back story, which just broke my heart. Apparently, when his parents found out they were expecting, it was unplanned, and they took him to live with his grandmother in their home country. However, the grandma was an alcoholic and didn't take good care of him; he never went to preschool or kindergarten, and when she was drunk, he was found one day wandering the streets by himself.

Last year, he came to live with his parents and he seems to be doing much better. He's a very sweet and chatty kid - always telling stories and making friends.

One might think that having such a tragic childhood would have left him bitter or closed off to the world, but somehow, it's the opposite. He's extraordinarily kind and loving. The other day, I gave my students a strict talk about something that had happened (I can't remember what, exactly, but I wanted to demonstrate the severity of the issue). I told the students not to tell on anyone else, but if they wanted to be honest, to just admit the truth if they had been involved. This little boy, D, raised his hand and made a serious confession. However, later on, I discovered that it had actually been another boy in the class, who had remained silent. When I asked D why he had said it was himself, he answered, "Because I didn't want anyone to get in trouble - only me."

Just last week, I overheard one of my most active boys in the class, loudly grumbling that his pencil was broken and he didn't have any others. D quietly turned around and gave him his own pencil. Then, a few moments later, as I instructed the kids to start their work, D raised his hand and told me, "I don't have a pencil." D didn't say anything about giving his away; just simply asked for another one for himself.

It's such a simple thing: putting others before yourself. Yet I'm finding that it's so difficult to put into action and extremely rare to witness, especially in a class of six-year-olds. D has taught me a lot through his giant, loving heart about loving other people. I know God is so pleased when He sees D's love in action, because it so reflect His own selfless, unconditional agape love.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. -1 John 3:16

hello blog!

New year, new kids.

And with that comes all-new stories about the kids :)

Overheard today:

C: How do you spell "brother"?

H: I know, I know! B...

C: (writing) Uh-huh.

H: R...

C: (writing) Uh-huh.

H: K...

C: (writing) Uh-huh.

H: I!

C: (writing) OK, thanks!

At recess the other day, a child asked me about my arm.

Mrs. Park: I got burned by hot water.

Child: When?

Mrs. Park: When I was one.

Child: When was that - 1991? Cuz I was born in 2004.

(Side note: WOW. 2004?!)

Thanks to this child, I just shaved a good eight years off of my age :)

you know it's spring when...

...you see a baby bunny (teeniest, tiniest thing!) hopping around the backyard in the morning hours, playing with the birds.

...you're driving through the UM campus and you see a flock of geese waddling on the sidewalk all in one pack. They were all like, Don't mess with us.

...you slow down when you see a bird sitting in the middle of the road, and then you realize it's actually a slow-moving turtle crossing the street!

...you peek into your ever-expanding rose bushes in the front lawn and see this:


(and the watchful papa) :

bear or skunk?

Bear:
Last night, I came home with a headache and a throbbing pain in my right eye. I couldn't think of anything but a nap, so I immediately changed into sweats and fell into bed...only to wake up this morning at my usual time. That's thirteen and a half hours, folks. And I wasn't even jet-lagged.

Skunk:
I brought kimchi in my lunch bag this morning. As I was driving in, I thought about how this was perhaps only the 2nd time I'd ever brought kimchi. As I walked into the school, I remembered why. I felt like I was handling a stink bomb. I had visions of my children and any others who happened to enter my room falling over in waves from the fumes. Did this deter me from chomping it down at lunchtime? No siree.

bff.

I had a play date today with my two of my favorite little girls: r & j. They came a-knockin' on my door to see if I was done with B.study yet, and then happily played on my deck until syunie & I finished.

These two seriously remind me of my childhood bff, Sysha. Everywhere one goes, the other is bound to be. I love how they turn everything into a game or a song. Life is so simple when you are eight.

A funny conversation while we were peeling potatoes (because at their age, household chores are fun!) :

R: Wouldn't it be funny if Sarrilly & Mr. A. had a baby?
Me: What do you think we would have, a boy or a girl?
R: Girl! Because more people have girls (based on the girl:boy ratio among babies in our church, this logic is right on target!)
J: Girl! No, actually, boy! Because there are more boy names than girl names.

:)

Love to you girlies. You made my day!

age is just a number.

Today during the Friday lunch group, we were talking about our siblings' ages. I jumped in the conversation, asking them to guess my sister's age. When I told them, "25." their little mouths all formed little O's. Nalleli asked me, "How old are YOU?" and I answered in stride, "94."

I love seeing their reactions to this type of response. Some of them nodded, and kept chewing on their lasagna. Others giggled, and one of them replied incredulously, "94 means you're gonna die soon!"

I said, "Yeah, but I look pretty good for my age, right?"

"Yup."
_____

Curious, I asked them, "When I turn 95, will you come to my birthday party?"

Sadly, I only received a couple who confirmed, "yes." Among the "maybe"s were excuses like, "I'm not sure - I have to celebrate my sister's birthday!" and "I don't know where you live!"

Sigh. Now I know how that host felt in the parable of the great banquet... :)

_____

On the bright side, this was the first grade logic that one little girl offered me to cheer me up, "When you get 1,000 years old, you'll be an angel."

sweetness.

Sweet: I love candy. I've always had a sweet tooth. I love that candies are called "sweets." I shall call them sweets more often.

Sweet: I am not a mother. Yet I always seem to get Mother's Day gifts from students. I think everyone assumes that if you are a teacher and female, you must also be a mother. :) This year, I got pink nail polish and Avon concealor. The gifts are always girly, always interesting. And sweet.

Sweet: After reading The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, a hilarious version of The Three Little Pigs, aloud to my class, one sweetie pie loudly declared, "You're such a good reader! Thank you for reading to us, Mrs. Park!" and the class erupted in spontaneous applause.

Sweet: Today I forgot an important paper for an after-school meeting. I mentioned my frustration while texting Mr. A. this morning before school. At 9:30, in the middle of Math groups, there was a sudden knock on the door. Mr. A. was standing at my door, the important paper in hand. He had used his entire planning period to drive home, fetch the paper, and bring it all the way to my school! It made my class' day, and mine. If that isn't sweet, I don't know what is. :)

missus.

What a whirlwind of a week! In the midst of the crazy busy-ness, I have much to be thankful for.

For now, just 2 quick things to share:

1. Yesterday, my little boy Cesar shyly came up to me at the end of the day and handed me a bracelet. Thinking he had just found it on the floor, I asked, "Do you know who this belongs to?"

He replied, "You." He had made it for me over the weekend! So sweet.

Even sweeter: his spelling of my name...


2. My baby sister got engaged on Saturday! A super-memorable day :) I couldn't be happier for her and Fredrick. Read more about their beautiful day here!

Below is one of my favorite pictures taken that evening. I love it because of the reaction in M, S, and G's faces as they heard her share the lovely proposal story. I also like how you can see Fred smiling at her as she speaks. And the mirrored balloons just set the mood and tone of the evening!

Congratulations, E & F!!! :) I know God has amazing things for you and your new life together!

awkward / nice.

As I was turning onto my street today, I saw my father-in-law driving past me in his silver van. I turned all the way around in my driver's seat (as the car turned the opposite direction), stuck my hand out the window and waved frantically.

Awkward thing?
It was not my father-in-law.


Nice thing?
The lady driver waved back. :)

bad teacher bad.

I feel so bad right now! R. and I usually communicate via text message about our Bible study schedule - she has the most crazy after-school schedule than anyone I know! But I digress.

Anyway, yesterday we were talking about how she was deciding whether to play in softball game today or have Bible study instead. I told her to text message me when she decided...but when I didn't hear anything by lunchtime, I shot her a text.

This is what I got in return:

Do not text R. during school hours. Because of you, R. is not getting her phone back -Mrs. Robertson


EEK! What kind of horrible teacher am I? I totally forgot that she is a student and shouldn't have a phone out during school. :( I bet Mrs. Robertson thinks I am a student at her school as well...

the latest fragrance.

This morning, on the drive in to work, I felt a warmness spread over me. No, it was not a warm & fuzzy feeling produced by the radio deejay's encouraging words... Rather, it was my coffee, slowly and surely, seeping and dribbling its way down my top. How my fail-proof travel mug leaked is still beyond me.

I guess my kids are rubbing off on me.


So, if you smell strong coffee anywhere outside of a Starbucks today, keep your eyes peeled because I'm probably headed in your direction. :)

1st grade alumni

Last week, the music teacher marched down a class of second graders to my classroom. It wasn't any old second grade class; these were my students from last year, who had looped and moved onto the next grade together since they had worked so well as an ESOL co-teaching class.

Apparently, they hadn't been working so well in Music. Mr. K. asked for me to step into the hallway and give them a few words to help them shape up their behavior. They were super-quiet and very repentant when I talked in a quiet, low voice with them, and then handed them each a sheet of writing paper to write apology letters to Mr. K.

Later, I discovered that Mr. K. had turned the assignment around, and had them write letters to me instead...and then their second grade teacher added that they had to get the letters signed by their parents!

Considering the diligence of this class, it wasn't a surprise that I received a manila folder filled with all of the class' letters a few days later. Here are some of my favorites from the bunch:

Dear Mrs. Park im sorry for disiponting you and thank you for all you have done for me and tring to make me a beter persen so i want to say sorry and im sorry for stoping you in the midol of class. Love, D'Anjelo
_____

I am sorry how I acced to Day I Just had sping Fever because I coldent sleep that much YesterDay I am very sorry because how I acced toDay and made You disaponted. From: Katherine.
_____

Dear Ms. Parck Im sorry that I was bad to Mr. K I will respect him for the rest of the school year you know, we were good but I donte know wat happen to me I Just changed but Im going to try to get My self back in place because I am responsible for my actions And I responcible for me I will never get a phone call ever agein. I will lisein like last year. Because you tot me well. I will never disipont you the best first grade teacher every because I want you to be Happy but not sad because it makes me sad to. Love, NAthAn
______

Dear Mrs. Park I'm very sorry I did this I know last year I was a good child but this year I'm doing bad I'm very very sorry Mrs. Park but I will be good I Prommis that I will be a good girl. Love, Abigail
_____

Ms. Park I am sorry because I was talking. I will be a good Boy. you are my best friend. I will go to third grade and I will be good. Thank you for teaching me things that I did not know. I will be good in and Mrs. K.'s class. thank you from Mike.
_____

Daer. ms. Park me and my class maets are so sorry that we waset your time and that we maed you desupoetid to. do you forgave us? Yes Plese say Yes oh Yes or No ok You sed Yes oh and think you for makeing me and my classmates smrat. Love, Miguel





precious.

black eye.

Over the weekend, I got into a fight. Sure, I got a black eye, but you should see the other guy...

hahaha. A fight with a softball, that is. I don't even know what exactly happened, but one minute, I was readying to catch an approaching ball, glove extended, blinking away the sand that the wind kept carrying into my direction....the next minute, I heard a loud THWACK!, felt a sharp pain to my head, and collapsed dramatically on first base. (The collapsing part was the drama queen in me...I don't think the blow really knocked me over or anything. Well, either that, or it was the lazy bum in me that would rather recline than stand up.)

All I can say is, thank God. He truly protected me and my eyesight. The ball hit me right in the eyebrow, narrowly missing my eye. In fact, I knew right away that my vision wasn't impaired and, though I had a bump on my face the size of a golf ball, I kept trying to crack jokes so everyone would know I was okay and not really badly hurt (to my chagrin, no one laughed...)

Thank God for Mr. A., who came rushing to my aid and remained ever so calm throughout it all. Thank God for Agey, who drove me around to get ice and to M.Esther's house to get checked out. Thank God for M. Esther, who reminded me that it was a miracle that my eye was protected through it all.

-----

It's interesting, having a black eye. One part of me hates it - hates the look strangers give me (a pitying glance) and the look they subsequently give my husband (automatically suspecting domestic abuse). Another part of me finds it almost fascinating, especially since I've never had one before. Trying to remain joyful and thankful, in all circumstances.

I was, admittedly, a bit nervous to come to school today. Mostly because I wasn't sure how the kids would handle it...and also, how the adults would handle it. It went well, though. Yesterday I had bought some disposable eye patches, in case my eye was too ugly of a sight for anyone to bear. However, I promptly nixed the idea after realizing that they made me look like I didn't have an eye at all, which was even scarier than my purple bruising.

I was planning on either wearing my black sunglasses all day or not wearing anything on my face at all (though my friends tried to convince me to wear matching purple eyeshadow on my good eye...) but when I arrived at school, I found a pair of silly sunglasses I had bought a couple years ago, for my students to wear while reading their stories to the class. Perfecto. For the rest of the day, I only got compliments on my shades, and not a single weird stare for wearing sunglasses indoors. :D


It's a good thing I'm a first grade teacher. I don't know how I'd be able to explain away this look if I had any other job...

almost there.

I am nearing my final hours before I turn in my National Board Certification application (Take One! aka part 1 of 2). This application/portfolio has been consuming me for the past 2 months and this week, I will finally be shipping it off!

Tonight I am thankful for:

1. C.K., who has been a wonderful friend and cheerleader as she tirelessly read my drafts and made very insightful comments and suggestions

2. My husband, who has been keeping me well supplied with candy (my latest obsession: jellybeans!) and coffee, always served up with a smile! :)

3. Hope, hope, hope. Our God, who provides it all! I don't know how I'd be able to do anything without being able to see that glimmer of hope in all things. (Plus, I just love the word glimmer.)


[Also? I am thankful for Francine Rivers, for continuing to write books! I just reread her last book, written in 2003, and she publishes a new one just in time! I just ordered myself a celebratory gift - her latest, Her Mother's Hope - due to arrive on my doorstep on the postmark due date of my portfolio. Can't wait!!!]


Back to work...the final push! :)

Growth

I love watching kids grow. I remember when I first moved to Maryland, I made an instant bond with a little four-year-old named Rebekah. Last weekend, she celebrated her 8th birthday! As I told her, I have known her for half of her life! Amazing.

I just scoured my old xanga site to retrieve this photo from November 2006.

[Photo credit: Esther]

All grown up! Here she is, at age 8, with her BFF, Joy :)

Two and a half years ago, I remember excitedly rushing to the hospital to see Abe & Kisung's firstborn child, Samantha. Now she is the one running all over the place, talking up a storm and always surprising me with her wide vocabulary!

Here she is, one day old and already making friends with her buddy Nathanael Brown.

This was taken on Easter Sunday...a beautiful, sunshiney day!
I just can't get enough of this girl's infectious giggle! :)

[Photo credit: Augustine]

Watching kids grow up, in our church and in my school, makes me marvel at creation, and especially our Creator. It also challenges me to ask, Am I growing too? Some things will never change - like my shoe size, which has remained the same since 8th grade. But I never ever hope to see my faith or love for the Lord to stagnate.

⁶I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
-Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

The Bible.

When my students don't finish their work in the morning, they have to come into the classroom and finish during their recess time. Today, I was eating my lunch and reading a book when a few of my girls came in to work on their stories. One of them, in particular, took great interest in what I was doing:

L: Mrs. Park, what are you reading - the Bible?
MP: No, it's just a thick book. Do you read the Bible?
L: Yes.
MP: What do you like to read about in the Bible?
L: Jesus.
MP: What's your favorite part of the Bible?
L: Like, chapter 5...

She then proceeded to tell me a story about Jesus going to His friend's house because His friend was having a party and He wanted to go and somebody pushed Him and He fell down...


Hmm. Still trying to figure out whether this could be her paraphrased version of an account in the Bible (Wedding in Cana? Bleeding woman touching his cloak?) or just a story she made up as she went along. She is, after all, quite the creative (not to mention talkative!) one... :)

SPRING!!!

It is spring! (Well, kinda sorta...and officially, not.) But it was beautifully warm and sunny outside. What were the signs, you ask?

:: Everyone and their mother was out and about in the neighborhood today! Including my dear little neighbor, seven-year-old Rebekah and her Barbie scooter (which, as I discovered today, has a plastic holder in the front so Barbie herself can ride along!).

:: My car radio needs not to compete with the sound of heat blasting through the vents.

:: Goodbye, winter coat with fur lining, gloves, hat, scarves... (ok, ok, who am I kidding? I never say goodbye to my scarves...)

:: I aired out the entire house today! Opened windows, doors, everything! Nothing like a fresh March breeze to blow away all the germs that have been collecting over my "sickie" weekend. AHHH...

:: I have begun browsing through sandals and flip flops online...

:: Daydreaming about spring break has officially begun (especially as everyone around me is already ON spring break this week!)

Ahh, 'tis all good. Today is a special day, and I will enjoy it for what it is. :)


Thankful for:

-Anniversaries
-Laughing & praying with the youth kids
-Sisters - by blood and by blood of Christ
-My sweet kiddos who write me notes that make me feel like a million bucks
-Sour Patch Kids
-Blogs like this one that make me crack up....
-Beautiful songs that sing my heart like this and this

eleven!

I'm at school and I have only e l e v e n students today! oh my, how glorious. 11 out of 23 kids on a half day (due to expected snowfall)...what can you do? I'm really loving it! I get to set aside discipline and crowd-control and focus on enjoying each student and loving them.

Snow. How I love it! I can't wait for this huge storm we're expecting...I just love the feel of anticipation as it falls softly, blanketing the world with soft, clean, fluffiness. It makes everything beautiful. I was reading a Boundless article earlier this week about how snow is like God's forgiveness - even the Word speaks of making us "whiter than snow." I like that. I love that He is the One that makes all things beautiful (Eccl. 3:11).

chatting.

Today there is a layer of leftover snow on the ground; thus, we have indoor recess. A recess monitor is in the room, leaving me a minute to blog! :)

My kids are in love with puzzles. I have about 7 of them, but they never tire of them. Today, however, Becky came up to me before recess and asked, "Mrs. Park, instead of playing with puzzles, can I just sit at my desk?"

Puzzled (har har), I asked, "What do you want to do at your desk?"

To which she promptly answered, "Talk! ...with my best friends Diego L. and Jessica."

And talk they did. I figured it's a good chance for them to actually socialize and have fun, especially since they have strict lunchroom rules and usually don't get to talk freely then.

Conversation Topics (Overheard):
- iCarly (of course)

-Diego A., who moved to another school yesterday (well, more specifically, the stuff Diego A. left behind in his now-vacated desk...which they found great interest in)

-Other teachers in the school

-Religion. ("God is really big. He's like our Dad! (giggle giggle)")

what first graders are afraid of.

This is the result of a small group discussion I had with my reading group about the word "afraid":

- "shark!"
- "Chucky"
- "when someone takes me away"
- "strangers"
- "cheetah, cuz it's the fastest animal on earth"
- "dinosaur!"

glasses?

BECKY (worried) : Mrs. Park, did the nurse say I have to get glasses?

MRS. PARK: No, she just said that you need to go to the eye doctor to have a check-up.

BECKY (still very concerned) : But I might have to get glasses??

MRS. PARK: Maybe. But that's ok - glasses are cute!

BECKY (excited) : I know!!!

(scampers off happily)

(overheard)

"Every time I eat cheese, I fall in love." - Leilani

"This came out in 2007." - Becky (pointing to her big tooth)

"When I used to go to the school by the Pizza Hut, they taught us about feelings. I love my family for who they are." - Leilani

firstgradelove.

I'm taking a little break from grading tonight to post some things I took pictures of so I can remember them forever. :) It's almost like having a scanner, right?


A couple weeks ago, we ended our Author Study unit on Australian author Mem Fox. We had a "publishing party," where the kids munched on snacks and took turns reading their work from the unit into a microphone.

This is my cutie patootie Emely. She is quite possibly one of the sweetest girls you'll ever encounter. (and very serious about school!)

The hallway display in front of my classroom:


This is my absolute favorite worksheet to grade - the pictures are always hilarious! These are the results from two of our class' best artists:


As I was grading tonight, I was a bit worried about the intensity level of a Science test I had made...so I made Mr.A take it, just to be sure...
(Nevermind that he's a Science teacher...)
On the plus side, two students actually received 100% on this assessment!


Finally, my cuties from last year have made it a habit these days to troop down to my classroom together at dismissal. They're so funny and I miss teaching them! I alway ask them to write me letters so I can see how much their writing has improved :)

Nathan: Ms. Parck I miss you I wish you were are teacher agein tell Mister Parck Hi I hope you have a good weeckend fom Natha to Ms Parck

Salvador:
Ms. park I wish that you will be are teacher.
if you thont thats ok I will miss you for ever to colletch.
[thont= don't ; colletch = college]

happy new year.


Kathy: (she went all out)
Now, doesn't this make you want to teach first grade too?!

Back to SchoolMax!

.una mescla.

1. Three words: Control-top Pantyhose.

Never again.

2. Today we received our bridesmaids' dresses! They are absolutely stunning - a silky satin apple red. I was going to post pictures of it, but couldn't find a good image online. Better to wait about a month and we can post the real thing! (yay for joe & reb!) Even though my wedding was only six months ago, it is so much fun to be a part of another wedding celebration - from a different angle! I need to practice walking around in heels. Hmmm...

3. 10 days till my little niece's due date! w o w ! Hurry up, Isabella Grace! So many people are waiting to meet you... :)

4. I am going to take a little time to brag about my husband. I don't get to do this too often, and what better place than a blog, where I can speak my mind, right?

Mr. A is the most thoughtful man you'll ever meet. He's the timeless gentleman who brings courtesy and chivalry back into fashion. We have been together for a little over 2 years and he continues to open the car door for me. On nights before a snowfall, he will raise the windshield wipers on my car (so they won't freeze) as well as the cars of our neighbors. Every day he walks me to the door before I leave for school so he can bid me a good day. These little things set him apart.

He does whatever he does well and is one you can always count on. (I have heard this from many people and said in many ways. I only wish I were more eloquent...)

Mr. A. was a born listener - he listens thoughtfully and gives encouragement and wisdom from the Word. He speaks the truth in love.

This week I was really encouraged because he served me so well. He woke up early to pack me my breakfast and lunch and let me sleep in a while longer. Thursdays are my busy days, so he went grocery shopping and came home and cooked dinner for Beckylove and me. Afterwards he washed the dishes while we had Bible study. When I returned from praise practice, I found that he had vacuumed the house and was doing the laundry. Man oh man, was I humbled...

But it's not just the things that he does. It's who he is. A man after God's heart. One who cares deeply for our youth and loves to play hard with them. A worshiper. One who loves his family and takes care of them. One who is absolutely, 100% sure of who he is and what he is living for.

Augustine Soonshin Park, you are one of a kind. Happy (almost) 6 months! <3

.munchkins.

I don't know what it is, but this week God has given me an extraordinary yet delightful amount of patience and love for my kids. I just wanna hug them and squeeze them and tell them how precious they are! I pray this is more than just a passing phase - that I will remember to love even when teaching gets frustrating...

B. is one of the smartest kids I have ever encountered. She is quick and intuitive and loves to tease. Her random question of the day for me was, "Do you have fake skinny jeans?" She then proceeded to pull up her pant legs to reveal her own "fake skinny jeans" that she had layered underneath. Then she commented (almost to herself) that she had put her underpants on backwards today, and scampered off.

D. is a very pretty and affectionate little girl. She reminds me of America Ferrera. One day she came to school wearing sparkly red ballet flats that must have once been part of a Halloween costume. Ever since then, I started calling her Dorothy, even though none of my kids have ever seen (much less heard of!) The Wizard of Oz. According to her sister, shortly thereafter, D. began asking her mom if she could change her name to Dorothy. Hahha!

J. has one of the biggest, gentlest hearts in the class. He has a tough guy's name, though. In fact, before school started, I asked Mr. A. to look at my class roster and tell me if he could predict which students would be my class angels and which would be my RML students (Require More Love)...and J was chosen as one of the latter and, based solely on his name, I agreed. It was just a silly conversation, but it made me rethink trying to label kids (even if just for fun). Anyway, he has the most amazing dance moves I have ever seen (especially for a 6 year old.) I can tell who his influences are, though, because when B. made the comment about skinny jeans, he immediately piped up with, " Michael Jackson wore skinny jeans!"

My kids have a slight obsession with M. J.

At the end of the day, the children who walk home were arguing over who would get to hold my hand on the way out. Ah...I shall cherish these moments because these kiddos grow up far too quickly.

.obedience.

This seems to be coming up a lot these days: obedience. Simple concept, difficult follow-through.

This year, I am leaning towards 2 very similar verses to hang onto as my key verses for 2010.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

This is mostly because I've recently been thinking about my day-to-day schedule. A lot of the things that I do during the week are church-related and, at the surface-level, "honor God." However, I haven't been doing very well at offering all of my heart while doing it.

Attitude: it's at the core of what we do and almost serves as the dividing line between a mere activity and worship that is pleasing to God.

This year, I want to be intentional in viewing everything I do as worship...and as a result, striving for excellence. For His sake...He is worthy of no less than the absolute best I can give! That's why I love these verses - they break things down and make everything very simple: it's about doing it for Him, not me or anyone else.

So, obedience...

It really hit home when I was studying with syunie earlier this week. We were in John 17, Jesus' longest recorded prayer in the Gospels.
Verse 4 says: ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Jesus' obedience is what brought God glory! He Himself emphasizes obedience to His disciples earlier in John 14:23: Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.
But why do we make obedience seem so much harder, so much more complicated that what it really is?

A few weeks ago, I got a very clear picture of what simple obedience looks like: while the youth leaders were planning for the retreat, we called a few people to help out. I was really encouraged by their very simple and eager responses to our requests: "I'll do whatever you want me to." It made me think how much it must please God to hear those very words from us. That's the attitude I long to have before my King!

.new.year.

Happy New Year! 2010 looks so round and complete - I like it already!

This year we did something different to ring in the New Year...but first let me recap New Years past.

The past two years (at the prayer house) we had begun a tradition [which I loved and had planned on continuing, even after marriage]: Watching the first sunrise of the new year.



I loved the great sense of hope and anticipation as we huddled in the absolutely freezing weather (we got smarter in year 2 and wore many layers and swaddled ourselves with blankets) and caught the first glimpse of an orange ray of light.

Every year, we paced on the beach at twilight and wondered whether it was too cloudy to watch the actual sunrise...but every year, God would part the clouds at just the right moment so we could behold something truly beautiful.

After the sunrise, we would soak up the rays and spend time reading the Word on the beach and worshiping to the sound of crashing waves. Then we would go out for breakfast together before driving 3 hours back home!
Coffee was absolutely essential. :)

*****

This year, however, was different. Mr. A. and I had discussed earlier the different options for spending New Year's Eve, and since it was our first as a married couple, we wanted to be intentional about what we did. We decided to have a family worship time at home...singing to our Jesus and praying-in the new year.

As much as I loved our previous tradition, I really loved being at home and the start of something very special. There's such beauty to be discovered in sitting back and remembering God's immense goodness in the past decade...and looking forward to even more in the next decade!

Great hope and great expectations for 2010! :)