if that's all we can take

Wow, today sucked.

First, it's Wednesday which means staff meeting/collaborative planning at Norwood from 8:45-10:45am. I used to not have to attend this, which meant Wednesday was a sleep-in day (or get-to-the-gym-really-early day), but then some teacher was like "why aren't the student teachers coming to collaborative planning?" so now I have to go and all I do is sit for two hours in a freezing room while they argue about curriculum and API scores and my coffee gets cold and my stomach starts to grumble. Awesome.

So then I walk into my classroom and review my agenda and remember I have to give not one, not two, but three tests today. Three tests on material I know my kids don't know. This isn't my fault, mind you. It's material they should know but don't because they've been to lazy to learn it and today was accountability day. So after 45 hellish minutes of painful testing, I had to lecture my students about discipline and responsibility for their actions and how if they don't start giving 100% in my class, they aren't going to make it through high school, etc etc. It was not fun. And then I gave them like an hour of English homework and told them that if they ever tell their resource teachers that they don't have any English homework again, they'll be doing English homework until their hair turns gray.

Then I came home and started my period. Too much information, I'm sure, but it's just been that kind of day.

I watched last night's Veronica Mars, hit the gym, then headed over to UCC for band practice at 6. We didn't start practicing until 6:45 because the guys were screwing around with their guitars and couldn't get anything to work. This is why vocalists hate band practice. Alex is on his honeymoon, which meant everything was left up to the staff and then half the staff didn't show up. Fabulous.

But then we split into guys'/girls' discussion groups and the ladies talked about Esther and we had a really fabulous discussion about taking risks and crisis of faith and it just reminded me how incredible my life is and surely tomorrow will be better.

The End.

lily dreams on

Last night, I took some of the girls in my seventh grade small group to the 35-acre Dixon Corn Maze. It was, in a word, epic.

From Corn Maze!

Edit: I just got an email from one of my girls thanking me and saying how much fun she had. Holy crap, I heart junior highers.

you know youve gotta help me out

There's this fabulous little place in Claremont that Stephie took me to called 21 choices (there's also one in downtown Pasadena). It's basically Coldstone, but approximately 1 billion times better AND with handmade frozen yogurt and specialty flavors that change daily. Tonight, I could really go for French Vanilla with some Twix mixed in. I miss LA. And Stephie...

Staff retreat at Tucker's cabin this weekend was super-fun as usual. Sadly, I represented basically the entire female staff all weekend and it was... tiring. As much as I love being "one of the guys", I really missed Monika and Bethany and wished that Kelly and Cathy could have been there so we could discuss small group things that pertained to girls. Oh well, maybe in January. It was fun, however, to be there with the high school staff and to have a couple of days with nothing to do but enjoy the scenery and a little serenity. I needed a break.

My dad turns 60 this Friday, so I'm heading home after our game on Saturday morning to celebrate a little and attend Palo Alto's Glass Pumpkin Patch with my mom. It's fall! I'm so excited!

the one ive been waiting for

I am super blessed to know so many fabulous older women at UCC who are genuinely interseted in what I'm doing and, more importantly, how I'm doing. Lonna Hampton, who has one son on my soccer team and two in my youth group, offered me some unsolicited, but still great advice last night and, if all goes as planned, my load may be lightening significantly in the next several weeks.

Class today, work tonight, soccer game tomorrow morning, Dave Matthews tomorrow evening! It was a balmy 57 degrees when I woke up this morning. Hello, Fall.

you will be the one to lead

Last night I babysat for a new family that I met through Oasis at UCC. I've had Sarah in Oasis Childcare for about a year now, and she's an absolute doll, so when Linda called me and asked if I would watch Sarah and Lucas on Thursday evening, I gladly agreed. As expected, the children were angels and we read Winnie the Pooh stories all evening.

I remember a lot of Winnie the Pooh from my childhood, but mostly in the form of TV shows and movies, courtesy of Disney, not the original stories by A.A. Milne. I think I would be a lot more into Winnie the Pooh had I been in the possesion of something like this which, of course, I am now desperate to own.

These stories are funny, folks. And in a very adult way too. They are quick and intelligent and sarcastic and gave me several good chuckles.

A sampling from "In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In":

"How did you fall in, Eeyore?" Asked Rabbit, as he dried him with Piglet's hankerchief.

"I didn't," said Eeyore.

"But how---"

"I was BOUNCED," said Eeyore.

"Oo," said Roo excitedly, "did somebody push you?"

"Somebody BOUNCED me. I was just thinking by the side of the river
- thinking, if any of you know what that means, when I recieved a loud BOUNCE."

"Oh, Eeyore!" said everybody.

"Are you sure you didn't slip?" asked Rabbit wisely.

"Of course I slipped. If you're standing on the slippery bank of a river andsomebody BOUNCES you loudly from behind, you slip. What did you think I did?"

"But who did it?" asked Roo.

Eeyore didn't answer.

"I expect it was Tigger," said Piglet nervously.

But, Eeyore," said Pooh. "Was it a Joke, or an Accident? I mean--"

"I didn't stop to ask, Pooh. Even at the very bottom of the river I
didn't stop to say to myself. 'Is this a Hearty Joke, or is it the Merest Accident?' I just floated to the surface, and said to myself, 'It's wet.' If you know what I mean."

In other news, Daniel is home for Father's Day, my mom is coming up tomorrow to help me finish packing, and Mindy is getting married this weekend! Come Monday and Tuesday, I'm off on the Mystery Trip (I'm not even positive where we're going!) with The Edge and then I finally get to move back home. Glorious.

It's hot out.

and i move forward

What a weekend! The Famine was a great success - staff weren't too stressed, kids learned a lot, we all had a great time and shared some awesome discussions. We didn't sleep much, but I think I'm pretty much caught up by now. On Saturday evening, we went to the Hunt's for dinner. Mr. Hunt has been promising me paella for about a year and a half, and he was finally making good on his promise. Daniel and I arrived at the Hunt farm around 6:30, forgetting that the Hunt's don't eat like normal people. To make a long story short, we ended up sitting down for an authentic Spanish meal at around 9:30. In the meantime, we hung out with Lila and her family and some of Charlie's graduate students, jumped on the trampoline, petted the horses, played darts, and sampled some of the Hunt's home-grown and cured olives while they cooked paella over an open fire in the backyard. When the meal was finally ready, 15 of us crowded around a picnic table lit with candles and lanterns and after Charlie blessed the food, shared bread, cava, and an incredible seafood paella. It was so homey and comfortable and perfect and as I sat there wrapped in a blanket, getting drowsy as Carla talked about the first time she met her husband I realized how blessed I have been here in Davis to know families who love and care about me and have taken me in as one of their own. What more do I need?

Here are some pictures from the weekend (courtesy of Dave, more here):

Nikki and Lila

At work in the Tichota's backyard

Dave and the cat

Corey, Alex, and Alana back at UCC

Daniel shows off a bit

Paella!

The finished product

on an eighteen month delay

The other day in class, we were talking about minority achievement variability (don't be fooled, it's not as exciting as it sounds), and Professor Johnson summarized a point that the author had made by saying, "Lee argues that Ogbu's theory sees Asians as a monolithic group. Does everyone know what monolithic means?" And this girl raises her hand and says, "It's a belief system where you only believe in one God."

I nearly fell out of my chair. Completely forgetting that I was in class and that I don't know this girl and that maybe I should try to be sensitive to the fact that some people are morons, I say, rather audibly, "That's monotheism. And we aren't even talking about religion." And Professor Johnson laughs and looks at me and says, "Would you care to define monolithic for the class?" and I say, "Well, considering that we were just talking about, monolithic means a homogenous group in which variability is not accounted for."

Duh.

I am so done with college.

In other news, my schedule is so jam-packed I'm having a hard time believing I'm only taking 10 units, and only 6 of them for a grade. Between papers and debates, planning the Famine, trying to move out, projects for work, family obligations, physical therapy, meeting with ADX girls, and general end-of-the-year stuff, I literally am never home. On top of that, I don't think I'm going to be in Davis a single weekend until the end of the quarter (aside from Famine weekend). Ryan and Megan's going away party, my mom's birthday, (Famine), Napa, Stephie's bridal shower, and then I'm done.

Not that I mind, really. I'm sort of over the whole "spending every free second of every day with people because before you know it this will all be over" thing. Maybe because I'm not leaving Davis yet. Maybe because a lot of people who are really important to me aren't leaving either (or are staying nearby in Natomas and Sac). Or maybe just because that's not my style. I don't feel a deep sense of regret and sadness that college is ending. It's been fun, but I know there is something bigger and more exciting on the horizon and I'm perfectly willing to wait that out without getting overly emotional about commencement.

Because that's what it is. Commencement. I'm finally getting to start doing what I really want to do. I get to work in a classroom and be an adult and not deal with all of the college "stuff" that gets in the way. Finally.

I trust that God has had the most extreme hand in these last four years. London, New York, ADX, and UCC especially. I know He has sent me places to train me and taught me things to prepare me, but I don't think He intends for me to hold onto those things and lament that they have passed. I think He intends for me learn from them and move on and use those experiences as a springboard for what is coming.


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord...