Loving My Students!

It is an ideal classroom, when all students are busy looking up information, taking notes and are pleasant to be around.

I'm sitting in my AP US Government Class, and let me tell you, they are a fun group and quite studious.  They are all busy and on task looking up and comparing quickly governments of various countries around the world with US and ROK.  They are a neat group, and I feel I'm bonding with most of the students here, both students in my classes and in the school in general. 

A little bit ago, I handed out an invitation to the AP class for Friday supper at my place for the next Friday.  Wow!  They were so excited and "REALLY?"  "AHHHH!!!"  and such big smiles.  I think they were pretty suprised and excited they are the first to be invited over.  I'm actually going to be inviting all the students over for dinner throughout the semester, they just get to be first. 

Now ... what am I going to make? HA!  I don't have an oven, but their are those that do and said I could use their ovens if needed, and English Village has a kitchen with ovens as well.  I will do a lot of prep work over the Chuseok Holiday, so that I can put it all together quickly on Friday.

Any suggestions???

A New Adventure

I have always wanted to travel. I finally had the opportunity to take my first trip off North America a year ago last March to the amazing and fascinating Turkey. I was part of a Study Tour where we visited the sites of the Seven Churches and did a few other things. I know, I never shared that here, but many of you heard about the trip and had seen many pictures. That trip really started a little travel desire bug in me. In fact, I was talking with some of the others that were on the trip, and I had mentioned how I would love to travel all over. Honestly, I really want to go to Europe and Australia and Africa, but recently I had become quite interested in Asia, specifically Korea. One of the couples on the trip had lived in Korea and he told me I really should go. He said I should think about living there for a couple years, maybe teach English or something. I laughingly said, if I am still single when I turn 35, I may just do that. I really wasn't to serious about it, other then I really wanted to travel and see Korea. Hmmm, well God had a funny on me. I turned 35, I am still single and ... I accepted a teaching position at a small academy in South Korea. No, I am not teaching ESL, I will be teaching in an American Curriculum school. This coming semester, US Government and English I. Yup, I'm really excited about it for many reasons. Sooo, in less than two weeks, I will be on a plane, headed east across the Pacific and starting a new journey. A new Journey ... I am going a whole ocean away from family and friends ... I need to stay connected. ... OHHH, I guess I should start writing on my blog again. I hope to share with you all my adventure that God has so very glaringly opened the door for me to do. I also ask that you pray with me that I am able to do what God asks and do so with a cheerful and open heart. Scared I may get a little homesick at times? Yup, I am, but God wouldn't send me without a good reason, so I will be doing my best to follow His lead. Excited about being able to travel to new places and experience rich cultures? Absolutely! I plan to make friends with other teachers there, and get to know some of the English teachers too, and possibly travel around Korea and a few other neighboring countries on holidays. Hey! I'm also expecting now that the crazy endometrioma was removed and the endometriosis is under control, and with good food and lots of places to go walking/hiking, the weight I have been fighting with for the last few years may come off. I have already noticed swelling in my face and other places, has gone down some. WOOHOO! This time next year, will I be refreshed and renewed both spiritually and physically? I surely hope and pray so. I will start a new blog, with a link on this page to come, just dedicated to my life living abroad. I hope that I will be able to keep this one up again, to include just personal, random ramblings. I love you all! New Adventure, here I come.

A New Year

It has been over six months since I last wrote here. Currently, I am writing while my students are also journal writing.

I've got good kids, but I have been discovering that writing, reading and math skills are so far behind what they should be. Also, disrespect is at a whole new level compared to only 10 years ago. Kids today have been bombarded by to much information via television, movies, music, computers/internet . . . They don't seem to recognize what is appropriate behavior and what is rude and disrespectful.

If I hear one more time, "well in public school . . . " I just might scream! Or another favorite line, "my parents don't care". That one I know is not true. My students' parents do care about how well their kids are doing academically or how they are behaving. However, many, or most of them do not know how to be quiet and still. Many people do not recognize that to have quiet students at school, it starts at home.

Soo, this week . . . practicing silence, peace and stillness.

Plants Update

Here's some pictures from today of the yard . . .



Sunflowers a last week Wednesday or so


Sunflowers today




And just some pictures from the rest of the yard and gardens. The corn has more then doubled, new starts are coming out of the ground with grass and beans and corn and . . .

Yard Progress

So I didn't get any before pictures, or pictures after the first plantings, but here is the Progress so far.

The front yard had grass in the past but it wasn't successful. So mom and I moved this well house planter out front and made a little flower bed (the picture doesn't do it justice, it's gorgeous), and we've planted grass and it is starting to come up ... in patches. :P In the corner next to the faucet mom planted hosta and a hydrangia plant. It should be very pretty.





Ok, I have a few before and after pictures, sadly they aren't very good due to the sunshine placement, but the next few pictures are of Tim's truck with the large load of bark. The front planter that is a little sad with some of the plants we got to put in around the front and back yard.





So I guess you can see the back yard, or the part close to the house before we landscaped it. :)



Front flower planter today. Ok, so those funny things sticking up are a flower (red poker)they just finished blooming, they used to be a bright reddish/orange flower. All those plants used to be small and they just keep growing and growing and it looks soo pretty. Again, the pictures do not do it justice.






The front of the house with some of the planters and hanging plants. Man, if you could see it in person . . . oh well :D Maybe I need to take pictures at the end of the day, sunset. hehe



Now some pictures of the back yard section. The two pathways still need cement between the pavers. We're going to be using red cement :). Oh, and basically almost everything other then plants, are things we found around the yard. Previous owners made the pavers (crude ones, but useful), we only got bark, dirt (lots and lots of soil) and plants (on sale) and seeds. :D



The corner flowerbed has several plants/flowers started from seed. It is a little sad looking right now because some dogs decided to dig a hole in the middle and burried lots of little plants with dirt. It should recover pretty good and when all the plants are grown with flowers it should be very pretty.





I was going to put a little narrated video on here, but couldn't get it to work. :(

This is the Blueberry and Raspberry garden. Blueberries are in the tires and are starting to take off. They were a root start. Raspberries are growing and in the middle are the seven sunflowers that I was able to get started from seed. They are getting BIG! :D Well if you could see them that is. hehe




The old dog pen/run no longer . . . now a veggie/fruit garden. The little bird house has at least two baby birds in it.



The small circles are different types of squash



In the big square bed there is garden beans, blue lake beans, okra, lima beans, cow peas and green arrow peas . . . we've already replanted seeds because some of the first plants didn't do well with the transplant and the heat. But new plants are starting again. :) The funny arrow like shaped bed has various cabbage and lettuces. Not sure that they are going to work well, but we'll see.



The taller rectangular bed has 5 or 6 different types of tomato plants growing. They seem to be finally doing well. The white hanging planters is from a tomato plant that we picked up that had five plants in one planter. They just weren't doing well and we separated them. Hoping the recover. They already have tomatoes and we picked one of them and will try it today. The black buckets are also tomatoes started from seed. We're worried that the type of soil we used in those pots might be to rich and the plants weren't big enough before transplanting. They aren't all doing as well. Praying they recover and do well. They have some of my favorite types of tomatoes. (hmmm . . . but I won't be here when they produce).

The other large square bed has radishes (for dad), broccolli, cucumbers, sugar pod peas and corn.



The two large circular beds have cantelope. Three little plants have started coming up. Had to replant seeds in these beds too just like the squash and beans.



So that's what we've been doing. :) can't wait to see how it all looks in a few weeks. :D

Exercise . . . Wieght . . . Loss? Gain?

Sooo, for the last few months I have been going to the gym and have been working out, swimming and just recently added a body sculpting class. The only days I don't go are Sabbath and Sunday, so wouldn't you think that I would start to see some weight loss or some down sizing in clothes? Well, apparently not my body, nope, it is hanging on to every last pound size. Though I will admit I am feeling like I am stronger and have the endurance again that I had. Only with all the workouts and body sculpting and yard work, I am SORE! :)

So though I am not seeing any weight loss I am getting all sorts of gains. My muscles are defining, the yard is taking shape (slowly), and I am moving in July to a beautiful place to start a new adventure. Hmm, I hope that my body decides to finally shed the extrra weight before the move. :)

Well, I am off to the gym for water aerobics with mom and then laps then home again to plant veggie garden seeds

Moving!!!

Yup, I'm moving. I am very excited about it . . . Back to the Pacific Northwest. Of course I will be on the opposite side of the state that I grew up on, but hey, it's more like home. Besides, I went to Academy on the Eastern side.

Well, ok, home is always where my family is at, however I am so thankful that God opened the doors for me to move back. :)

So I'll tell more later, too sleepy now but I wanted to share. :)