Soooo good.

Yum :)

Heaven! It's all good!

I love being Catholic. For a number of reasons, but one of which is artwork like this. I love Marion artwork, especially when Little Jesus is depicted with her. My number one goal in life is to become a mommy and I think that's one reason why I like this type of artwork. I bought this in Italy when on a family trip and never really had it up until Dan and I got married and I had free space on a wall in our bedroom. :)

Happy Day :)

Because ducks are adorable :-)

Jiemai

F you blogger and your "server error" when I try to upload my picture for today. This is what I think of you :-P This is also a picture of the tattoo my sister and I share. It says "jiemai" and it means "sister" in Chinese.

Tradition Continues

The last one of these was taken two years ago, much too long ago! This is our third picture of Steve, Ashleigh, me, and Dan, the first was taken at the 2007 Confirmation Retreat.

The other picture of the four of us, I can't seem to find at the moment, so I'll post that later. For now, I get to enjoy posting another set of traditional retreat pictures :)

2007

2008

2009

and 2010 :)

2010 Retreat: Now With 100% More Paddleboats!

 

This is Chris' "No-no Paddleboats" pose. Paddleboats weren't specifically excluded from the things we could do during free time, but we were almost fairly certain that if they were allowed, then all 72 candidates (not counting peers and adults) would probably be all over the dock and boats. They were, however, a completely fun risk. Especially since we took the walkie-talkies with us and talked to Tess and Steve while they stayed on the dock (and Dan who was elsewhere). We had lots of fun during free time ;)

And the view, was totally, and completely worth it.

Fog Rolls Thick

It's hard to see, but it was super foggy this morning! This post is for today but it's also a test to see if I can blog from my phone :-)

Jesus and Bears

Made this for Confirmation Retreat this weekend. Normally, the retreat houses we use are like, "don't have snacks in your rooms, we don't want mice or bugs." This year's retreat house is on a mountain, in the woods. They are legitimately concerned about bears. Like, no kidding, bears.

Thus, the poster for all the rooms. One of my most favorite things I've ever done. Epically cheesy, completely fantastic.

Jimmy :)

Again it's not a picture I took, but you can see his face better and his hair!! :) Sarah is flying out to meet him tomorrow and staying until Tuesday. She's under instructions to take lots of pictures and post them on Facebook :)

I'm Official :)

I got my name tag today, brand new, and magnetic! I love magnets. Today went pretty well, the students behaved and those that got homework seemed to like the idea behind it. We'll be holding a mock trial so that the students do research on things like plagiarism and piracy (and the difference between the two) and then debate from both sides. They definitely seemed to like the idea and I think they'll have fun with it at our "court date" next week :)

Meet My Nephew!

David James Torrey. ‎9lbs 2oz and 21 inches born 7:49am PST (10:49am our time). Mom and baby are doing fine, the rest of the family is happy/excited!

Not a picture I actually got to take, since he lives near Seattle, but blog-worthy just the same. I'll bend the rules for babies any day ;)

There are no words.

Renn Fest and Lesson Plans

Renn Fest: Take 2. Met up with some of the friends from last week and some different ones. Got to carry my friend's baby around all day, so it was pretty good ;) This is his older daughter, watching us get ready to throw some knives. Such good examples, aren't we?

Now I'm on to lesson plans for next week, if I can get caught up, then I can do one lesson plan a day, and not have to do them all at once like I did this week. Procrastination is only fun until it's over. I'm excited though, I figured out what the big projects are going to be for several of the classes. The good thing is that since some of the grades are split into two classes (girls and boys), I only have to do a lesson plan for the grade instead of each class. Problem is, I still have K - 8, so 9 grades total. K is taken care of, talked to their teacher and found out what they'd be talking about next week and she helped me pick out a video for them to watch. Love simplicity. I'm also planning on making as much of my classes about problem solving on your own as I can. I'll give them instructions and guidance, but for the most part, I definitely won't be holding their hand walking them through everything!

So far, this is what I've got for big projects:
8th: Blog about graduation that everyone contributes to at least once a week, this way, the whole class puts internet safety into action
7th: Promotional project (done in small groups) about the school, video, PowerPoint, etc. Their choice.
6th: Podcast (not to be put online, but made available to the school) done in the format of a radio program, news, recent events, etc. Parts are done by different small groups
5th: ?
4th: ?
3rd: ?
2nd: Posters about internet safety to be put up around school. Each child will make their own poster.
1st: ?
K: we'll probably just spend the semester reading and watching movies. Will coordinate with their teacher about anything else.

Tech geek's Friday night...

Confirmation Retreat is a week from tonight. Last night, we had the parent's meeting and the projector simply wouldn't work, we couldn't show the slideshow :( I took the projector home to play around with it. Sure enough, the problem was with the cable. I'm still not sure what was wrong with the cable the projector (VGA cable) had in the bag, but the VGA cable that I have works with it just fine.

And this is what happens when the other outlets in the house aren't as easy to use as the ones in the bedroom. 500 Days of Summer on the bedroom wall. Joseph Gordon Levitt is my new crush. Still crushing Jensen Ackles from Supernatural, but now he's got competition ;) By "crush", I mean celebrity to load up my Netflix Instant Que with and watch several of their movies/shows in marathon-fashion.

Now, I'm in bed, with When Harry Met Sally on (playing on the regular TV), PJs on, Renn Fest tomorrow...Mom was right, Friday Night feels soooooo good. ;)

Mmm, depth of field...

I love having depth of field in my pictures, especially when the midground is in focus and the foreground and background aren't, that's my favorite :)

This picture was achieved by setting my camera to macro, then sticking it pretty much in the grass, and angling it up just enough to be able to see some background. I love that the tallest blade of grass just touches the top of the frame--which was not something I was trying to do but realized after that it did--all I wanted was to get the street sign in the picture.

Mac Love

Ok, so I've only had 3 full official work days so far. But, there are moments when I really do, truly, love my job. This morning was one of those moments. I plan on using Mavis Beacon as part of my curriculum for all of the middle schoolers (and possibly some elementary schoolers) and today I installed it on all of the MacBooks we use. I had a whole system down and with no classes today to interrupt me, it was beautiful. For first period. After I finished with the laptops, I knew I had to tackle...

INSANE CLOSET OF DOOM!

This picture does not do it justice, it really is a scary thing to behold. Each and every one of those books not only has not been put into the computer inventory, but they haven't even been bar-coded or organized or anything! I've been told there are some great, new, up-to-date books in there, and that have been in there for a very long time, they've just never been touched. This was the kind of thing where, if I had applied and gotten this job before the summer (or over the summer), I could have worked on it and probably even gotten it to a reasonable point of cleanliness. But as it is, I have classes to teach, IT stuff to learn (so that the IT guy doesn't have to make as many trips out to the campus for "I can't find my toolbar"), and apparently book fairs to plan. Days like today with no classes and only one lunch duty help, but it's still going to take me months.

I also found out today that just because a book has a bar code on it (as in for our library's inventory), doesn't mean it's in the system. Not only that, I also found out that just because a book has a bar code and is on the shelves already, doesn't mean it's in the system. I have absolutely no reasonable way of knowing which of the hundreds of books need my attention or not. Other than the Insane Closet of Doom, I know with complete certainty that that needs my attention.

I'm going to be alphabetizing and Dewy-ing in my sleep. I have my work cut out for me.

Interesting find at just the right time.

Found this while frustratingly putting things away temporarily. I've been giving the task of taking a closet full of books and somehow not only cataloging them for the library but also determining if we need 9 copies of Island of the Blue Dolphins. I had gone to said closet and was more than slightly overwhelmed by the volume of books encased within it, taking a few books with me that already had bar codes on them (and had therefore, theoretically, been cataloged) back to my classroom I started looking for places to put other things I didn't need immediately. Upon moving a few things around in a drawer in a filing cabinet, I found this plaque. It was signed on the back by several students, apparently the old teacher either didn't want it when he left or forgot where he had stashed it.

Either way, my finding it was at just the right time. I'd already been reciting one of my favorite when-I'm-overwhelmed sentences ("How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time") and this was just icing on the cake. I love working in a Catholic school and being able to acknowledge out loud when Divine Inspiration hits (or Divine Intervention, whichever). I'll put this up eventually, once I've figured out where and once I've cleared some higher priority things off my To-Do List. (Like the Insane Closet of Doom)

What every desk needs.

Wedding picture and Coke :)

I don't have a very big desk, and I'm still cleaning things out from the previous teacher (lotssssss of leftover homework assignments...), but I have a space that is my own and I'm enjoying it!

Happy Knits!

This is my cabled skinny scarf that I'm working on. I'm following the pattern for Karaoke Cable Scarf, but the stripes were my own doing :) My favorite part about this scarf isn't the cables (as delicious as they are) or the stripes (looove stripes), it's the yarn. I call it my "namesake" yarn, it's called "Jeannee" and it's made by Plymouth. You can find some info for it here, but basically it's a worsted weight, cotton/acrylic blend. I like the soft feeling and I know I'll have to block it later (just in case I get caught in the rain wearing it), but I really do like this yarn. It can be a bit splitty and if I do this pattern with stripes again, I'll make them a bit thicker so I have less tails to weave in...

Yarn, needles, pattern, and swatch (to practice a set of cables and see how wide I wanted stripes to be)

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

It's time once again for the Maryland Renaissance Festival! Let merriment reign! This was my first trip this year, and end up planning to go again next week!

These are the girls who have been keeping me sane for the last six months, I'll miss you guys!!! We're all going to Renn Fest again next week, can't wait!

Getting ready to throw our battle axes! I'm the only one still doing my "grr" face lol.

Homework: It's For Teachers Too!...

And this is just for my classes on Monday!

It's the simple things...

Because, sometimes, this is the only place I truly want to be.

My Classroom

I'm absolutely in love with the fact that my classroom is also the library! That's my desk way in the back there, and that big white cabinet in front of my desk? Full of MacBooks! That is the rolling Mac Lab that I will be partially in charge of in addition to being librarian. I'm so excited about my new job! Tomorrow I'm bringing in my rocking chair to the classroom because it's just taking up space at the apartment (and currently holding clothes), I can't wait to actually be able to use it while reading to the kids!

My desk! Much organization is needed...

Looking at the room from my desk.

Big Girl Job

I got the call today, from the principal himself. I've been hired as a Media Specialist and Librarian and I couldn't be more excited! I hope not to do too many screenshots for the blog, but I simply couldn't resist this time, not after seeing the amount of love and support I got from posting my status about the job! I am so totally stoked and can't wait to get started! I'll have a salary. A salary. And benefits! I don't have to sit and count my hours, track my shifts, and double-check my pay stubs. I don't have to worry about "only getting two days" because my paycheck will stay the same. I'll be able to budget, like really budget! I'll be paid over 12 months so even in the summer when school's out, I'll still be getting paid! I could potentially have a summer off, something I haven't had since I was 14. There are so many good things about this job and I can't put into words how happy I am to have gotten the call today! The timing of everything worked out so perfectly, I'm so completely overjoyed and excited and scared and...everything all rolled into one!

Dan's on his way home from karate then he's taking me out to dinner to celebrate. It's going to be the best dinner I've had in a long time. :)

A smile increases your face value

This has been stuck in the bottom of my purse for a long time, only to be rediscovered a few days ago when I cleaned a pocket out. I remember I kept it because it was a bit corny, even for a fortune cookie, but it was also completely and totally epic. One of those it's-so-bad-it's-good types of things. The best part is, every time I look at it, I smile.

It has more than one meaning for me now, with my soy allergy and the possibility of giving up Chinese/Korean (and Asian food in general) for the rest of my life. As far as I know, my reaction wasn't ever serious (see my other blog for details), but since there's almost no information on EE (eosinophilic esophagitis) and since every patient is different, there's no way to know if having soy again in such high quantities will result in a mild or severe reaction. I get to err on the side of caution. With my shellfish and treenut allergy, I only half knew what I was missing out on. It wasn't that big a deal, the only thing I really wanted was crab dip and that was about it. The soy allergy is a whole other story.

My uncle and my Dad in Korea, 1976

Aunt Jane with a portrait of Uncle Archer

I come from a family of missionaries. My grandfather (Uncle Archer's brother) was born in China where his parents were missionaries. My Uncle Archer ran a mission in Korea, called Jesus Abbey (where both pictures above were taken). Growing up, we had a lot of Asian influence. I learned to use chopsticks at the same time I learned a knife and fork. My siblings and I have adopted Korea as part of our heritage and culture. Soy sauce flows like water in Korean cooking, soy is in just about everything they make and not as a preservative. Now imagine a Korean who was allergic to soy, and I'm a bit like that. My favorite food of all time, Bulgogi (Korean BBQ essentially), is now on my No-No List of things I can't have. I have very early memories of my dad making Bulgogi on our kitchen table with a small propane range, of serving the beef onto my plate as soon as it's cooked, being too excited to wait for it to cool, and not caring that the hot juices burned my tongue. The beef marinades for at least 24 hours, making the entire fridge smell good for that time. When it cooks, the whole house smells delicious for days.


So eat all your crabs and shrimp, take as many walnuts and almonds as you want, eat it all in front of me and I won't say a word. I just want to taste Bulgogi again. That fortune may be my last fortune, although I dearly hope not.

View From Where I Sit

 

This is the view from my living room couch. That is Stony Creek and right across the water is a marina and the Stony Creek Inn, which is apparently a restaurant that was featured on one of the Travel Channel's shows. The one above was taken around lunch time, the one below was after dinner.

After church this morning, I made lunch: grilled chicken and farfalle in a spicy tomato cream sauce. Since the weather has been so nice lately, we opened all the windows. I love the way the sun comes through the kitchen in the morning/afternoon :)

Nothing Better Than Family :)

/perfect day

What a gorgeous day for a family get-together for Labor Day weekend. My uncle drove in from Wisconsin (on his Buell bike!) so all four uncles were here. The temperature was perfect--as seen above--with no humidity, even the pool water was warm. My dad had bought some Strongbow (my fav. English cider), The Uncles all had beer, the food was grilled, and it was all good.

Mmm, time for a food coma.

Nonnie talking with a friend of my uncle's.

The beginning part of my day consisted of WoW, knitting, Dexter, and trimming the bun-bun's nails. It was good that I had decided to trim her nails today because I ended up finding out that her bum was...not clean. Whether it's a result of her just hanging out in her litter box or if she had a bout of digestion issues, I'm not sure. She's still not completely clean, but I imagine it's to the point where she can either do it herself now or I'll have to give her a small bath or wipe down at some later date.

Attempting to get the human smell off ;)

My friend's vet will trim rabbit nails for like $8, I need to investigate this with my vet and see if they do something similar. I know my vet has a grooming option, I'm interested to see if that includes rabbits because this is the second time I've trimmed her nails and it's an ordeal for both of us. No fun.

Here goes nothing!

Yes, I will admit, I completely and totally loved the idea of a friend of a friend's blog and stole it. I love both photography and blogging and with some radical changes happening at this point in my life, it seemed like the absolute perfect idea to keep a record and to keep me sane (or insane, either way). My plan is to take my camera with me everywhere, take all the pictures I can in one day, then upload them, pick one out, and blog! Currently looking for theme ideas, I think I'll start with weekly themes for if I get stuck, but I could go to daily themes too! I also like the idea of having a notebook with me to jot ideas down in for future pictures, I may have to see if I can find a small enough notebook to keep in a pocket or something.