Now reporting live from Burbank, CA...

I've been living in Burbank now for 8 weeks. I have a job which I have been in for 7 weeks.

The day before I left Jamaica, someone from the Burbank school district HR office emailed me and said that they had another job opening that I should interview for. The moment my plane touched down in Dallas I called the lady and she said, "I hope you're in Burbank because the interviews are tomorrow." I was still a 3-day car drive away from Burbank. Oh well, maybe the principal won't like any of the candidates... 

Nothing moved inside!! It's incredible! Pictured: childhood friend Megan, new friend Amanda

Mom and I packed up my stuff and drove out to California. Funny how easy that sentence was to write. We took turns driving the 10 foot U-Haul truck and my car. It took 3 days. On day 3, the Burbank HR lady called me and said, "The interviews have been postponed!" I said, "Awesome!" I interviewed 2 days later, and was offered the position 2 days after that. Hallelujah!! I was on cloud nine! After a whirlwind summer of packing up, living with other people, job hunting, interviewing, international travel, and cross-country travel, a miracle happened and I felt like I had solid ground under me. I believe that God granted me favor with the HR lady and the principal and teachers that interviewed me.

I'm teaching a class of seven special needs kids who are in grades kinder through 2nd. They are great kids and I really enjoy working with them. They are of course very diverse in their abilities, which is the challenge that I really enjoy tackling. The aides in my classroom are wonderful too. They love the kids and are eager to take suggestions and help me with things. 

I'm involved with a church called Soma, which is unique because of it's focus on what they call missional communities. These are the heart of the church. My missional community really feels like a family. They were praying for me before I arrived and prayed me through the whole process of getting a job and settling in to things. 

So there you have it. Goodbye from sunny Burbank.

Jamaica Trip 2014

We had a great trip to Jamaica! Thank you for praying! This is a mostly visual update on the trip.

A major component of our trip was connecting our MK teens with the Jamaican teens. These girls attended several service opportunities with us and were great fun to be around. Some had not served people with disabilities before so their eyes were opened to people who are different from them.

This is some of my team members and local people working on building a house. The family was so thankful for the work we did. The non-church-going husband of the family called this house his miracle house and his attitude has been very much changed by our service. Some of the teens pictured above helped out too!

This is the entire group! It was great fun to hang out with them working on something very purposeful and necessary. 

We went to West Haven which is a home for people with disabilities. They have about 80 residents (children to adults) and only 10 staff. They work very hard! I really enjoyed being able to play with some of them and participate in lunch time. The teens who went with us were touched because they had not really ever been around people with disabilities. 

Posing

Swinging

Dancing 

We also held a 2-hour VBS for children in the neighborhood of a school that we painted. About 30 kids ages 3-15 showed up! The MK teens who had prepared stories to share did an awesome job! They were nervous about it, but they really did great and I was proud of them. My role in that was more of an organizer role, along with the principal and administrative assistant of the school. 

Kids listening to the story.

Enjoying playing outside during one of the breaks.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

Peas Climb Up

I strapped together this bamboo and yarn trellis for my snow peas. They loooove it! 

They just can't resist the yummy yarn.

Bonus: look at that beautiful compost...

Idea for hanging student work in the classroom

I had my students make these Texas flag kites for Texas Public Schools week and the open house we have tomorrow. Instead of stapling them to the wall, I thought I would be fun to fly them. 

I used an electric hole punch--I lined it up so that two holes would go through the top side as you can see. Then I threaded red yarn through the holes and stapled the ends and the middle up. I thought I looked a lot more fun this way. You could even hang them across the corner so they are not flat against the wall.

Books Read in 2013

Two stars (**) means excellent, you must read it, I will read it again several times in my life--only one this year. One star (*) means recommended, I would read it again maybe sometime. These are in the order that I read them.

Diamonds in the Dust by Shirley Mowat Tucker

My mom's friend wrote this. It's fairly good for a Christian book published by an unknown publisher. I have never read anything set in South Africa, so that was interesting.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

I don't really recall this book as I'm writing this list, so it must not have been that good... That's unfortunate. This list is not starting out well, but keep going.

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson

1st of a trilogy (?) in the genre of juvenile fantasy. A boy uncovers a wall of cupboards that each lead to a different world. Lots of potential there. I plan on reading the others in the series.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (audio version)

This was not what I expected. The author was trying too hard to be poetic. It was awkward.

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Brian Selznick

Love this illustrator. This was a cute children novel on the theme of family and accepting weird families.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (audiobook)

Very powerful characters and heart-wrenching plot.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Very good character development and interesting characters, at that. Several plot lines which form, as the book's subtitle suggests, "A Study of Provincial Life."

American Prometheus: J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin

This guy was fascinating. I kept wondering if he was doubly exceptional (disabled and a genius), but no, he was just a genius. He served America by helping create the hydrogen bombs, but actually advised against using them because his great intelligence allowed him to conceive of the damage they would do.

*Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Ah, Piggy. You will remain forever faithful to your "friends" who are rude and care more about popularity than solidarity.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

A version of Cinderella where the girl is cursed to be obedient. I don't remember much about it.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Newbery winner 2002)

Who knew pottery could be so intense? In this setting of ancient Korea it is!

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

About a girl who is confused about who she is in love with. It didn't grab me like others of his did.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This is one of those juvenile books that has taken off. It was ok. Nothing like the quality of Harry Potter. But I did learn a lot about Greek mythology.

*The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

So funny! This guy lived every one of his 100 years. This stuff is unbelievable. (But it's fiction, so you don't have to believe it.)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Short story. It was good because justice happened. I like stories like that even though they are sad. I guess I value justice more than happiness...?

Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Hardin

About a guy who escaped from a North Korean camp in which he grew up. It made me realize how we take for granted normal socialization. This boy had absolutely no concept of any type of warm feeling from other people until he escaped, and his escape was a complete divine miracle.

The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck

Wikipedia says it was "written with a purpose to motivate and enthuse the resistance movements in occupied countries." so that makes it cool. It was pretty good. Hard to read because I know this sort of thing has happened and still happens.

Emma by Jane Austen

She's a matchmaker and she gets a match made for her at the end. Pretty good. I like Austen.

Autobiography of St. Ignatius

This guy is really awesome. I admire him a lot, but he seems sorta unreal because he was so good.

Silent No More by Aaron Fisher

A high-school boy standing up to say that he had been abused by a coach. Very, very powerful story. Bottom line: Don't blame the victim!!

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

This turned out to be a very influential book as I'm reflecting. She has a sometimes overly poetic style, but the idea is to be thankful for every good thing in your life no matter how small and that is very valuable.

The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem

This guy wrote this history book for his kids and grandkids. Apparently mankind only includes Western European peoples. One chapter for India, one chapter for China. Bam. Done. Huh? What is this Africa you speak of?

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (audiobook)

I can't believe I listened to this whole book. It was a fairly good and interesting book, but the narrator's voice was so grating. But, good picture of social strata in pre-communist China.

God is Closer Than You Think by John Ortberg

This is about intimacy with God, but I would just recommend "A Praying Life" described below instead of this.

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

I hesitate about whether to give you a spoiler. I feel like I need to read it again now that I know whatthe North Wind represents. Well, if you're like me and don't pick up on it after a few chapters, just read wikipedia's article until you find what the North Wind is.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Tales by F. S. Fitzgerald

I think I read this a year or two ago, but I didn’t realize until most of the way through the first story. It’s got some decent stuff.

*Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Probably my favorite of hers. I like the heroine.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Interesting short stories. There’s one particularly good one about girls who become silkworms in a factory. It’s about women rising up against oppression.

*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

About her early life. (She has about 6 autobiographical books one various stages of her life.) Excellent book of overcoming abuse.

The Very Worst Thing by Torey Hayden

Juvenile fiction about a boy who thinks he doesn’t belong anywhere and tries to raise an owl so that he’ll have someone to belong to.. I’m not making it sound right, but it was decently good. The author’s first foray into fiction.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

I love this kid! He's so endearing and he doesn't care that no one likes him. He's downright cheerful.

Every Woman's Battle by Shannon Ethridge

About purity of mind, heart and body. Good stuff.

Princess of Mars (Barsoom #1) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (audio version)

Interesting 1912 scifi. I actually didn't know it was that old until I just looked it up. Amazing. Kind of annoying because he objectified the main woman in the story, but what can you expect from 1912?

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Cute story. Juvenile fiction about two sisters struggle to get along.

*Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Diebler Rose

Inspiring true story of a woman who was captured and placed in a POW camp. She was a pillar of their new society in the camp. She was strong and compassionate: exemplary female characteristics.

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

Pretty good writing. Long story that had a surprise, dissatisfying ending. Although I suppose I should have liked it since I like "Of Mice and Men." But you can't do that in a long novel!

Son by Lois Lowry

Part 4 of the Giver Quartet. This relates back more obviously to "The Giver" so I enjoyed it more than the intervening books.

Harry Potter y La Piedra Filosofal by J.K. Rowling

Me encanta Harry. Era un gusto a leer uno de mis libros favoritos de nuevo y al mismo tiempo practiqué una idioma nueva!

Ten Books That Screwed Up the World and Five Others that Didn't Help by Benjamin Wiker

I got several history lessons out of this book. This is good for a summary of some of the most influential books ever written.

*A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World* by Paul E. Miller

I liked this and learned a lot from it. The author shares personal stories to illustrate his points. That is probably the best aspect of the book.

The Prince and Betty by P. G. Wodehouse

Very funny as usual. This plot merges with the plot of "Psmith, Journalist." which I read last year. I believe this one was written first because Psmith is spelled Smith.

Far From the Madding Crowd (audio version)

My mom recommended this to me as the only one of Hardy's books that is not depressing. It was cute. One girl, three guys: murder, mayhem and English country life.

**American Born Chinese by Gene Leun Yang**

Must read this if you are a TCK (third culture kid)! It's so redemptive. Plus it has 3 story lines that all merge at the end! I love that! I have already read this book 2 or 3 times, but I bought it because I HAD to own it, and I'm not one of those people usually.

*Wodehouse on Crime: A Dozen Tales of Fiendish Cunning by P. G. Wodehouse*

Vinettes from various novels and short stories, several of which I had already read, but it was fun to read these most action-packed segments.

Project: Work table for sewing machine and other things

Today is a snow day. This is what I did this morning. Finished at 11:30. Where's the snow you ask? You need to look VERY closely. And... you may still not see any.

Project: Kitchen Utensil Pegboard

Just finished this today. Thanks to mom for the colorful utensils.