Winter Walk

A couple of Saturdays ago when we had a sunny morning, I went for a walk in the snowy hills. I just now downloaded those pictures off my camera. Enjoy.

What did we learn...?

Of the many weird things that happened today (and there was quite the myriad of them - I think there was something in the water), the most blogworthy one belongs to my 1st period student, AL. As we were getting started this morning on his vocab, he kept complaining that his cheeks hurt. How does one hurt one's cheeks, I wondered. Apparently, it's quite easy. You take half a tennis ball, squeeze it against your cheek so it stays suctioned to it, and leave it for about 10 minutes. Instead of a ring, you'll have about a million little blood vessels rise to the surface of your cheek that will, of course, burn. Poor kid. I finally sent him to the nurse's office to get an ice pack.

Day by Day

Yesterday was a day. I had a student meeting before school even started with a very reluctant student (talk about pulling teeth). Then, in 2nd hour, the student had a near melt down because he'd forgotten his eraser. By the second flip-out, I was out the door, running from room to room in order to locate one, just so we could get back to the lesson. My prep hours were full of impromptu meetings and stress. Then I went into 5th hour with eraser boy again, followed next by my middle school group where one student went from one goofy voice to another, sang high-pitched songs no matter how often I asked him to stop, and ate his science project. Lovely. I literally shoved him out the door when the bell rang and collapsed into my chair until I remembered I had to hurry off to an after-school meeting that went till 5:45!

I was pretty much dreading today. It began with another before-school meeting, and I knew it would end with another after-school meeting. Ugh.

The meeting was just fine, and I was able to smile when my 1st hour boys entered. As we got started, I asked how their classes were going or if they knew of any upcoming projects. One of them told me about this note packet they have to fill out for History and the reading notes they have to take. Then, the other one asked these golden words that made my heart sing and my shoulders feel light again, "How does one take good reading notes anyway?" Guess what my lesson was on today? There is a God!

2nd hour student was calm and collected today, eraser firmly clutched in his hand, sing-songy boy had so much homework, he didn't have a chance to get distracted or eat anything he shouldn't, and the after-school meeting was smooth and short, so I was still able to get my shopping trip in (I needed milk). What a day!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

This is why I love working in a guys' dorm every Thursday: I show up last night, and the RA's are making grilled cheese sandwiches. "Something wrong with the dinner delivery?" I asked. "Nope." All three smile. "We're just having a food fight with the meatballs, so we need back-up dinner." I had a really hard time not giving away the secret or peeing my pants while I waited for the boys to get home and dinner to start. I wasn't disappointed. It was totally worth every grain of rice I had to clean up afterwards and the 2 hours I spent mopping.

It's a Girl!

I'm going to be an aunt of a beautiful, little niece in June! She can already make me cry just looking at fuzzy sonogram pictures. :-)

Conversation with my student today

Picture him drawing like there's no tomorrow during the entire conversation and me flipping through his history book next to him.

Me: Hey, VW, are you excited about starting History class with me?
VW: Mm.
Me: You're studying about the Egyptians right now, aren't you?
VW: Mm. ... They have many long tunnels for their graves.
Me: Oh yeah? In the pyramids?
VW: In the valley of the Kings.
Me: Yes!
VW: Archaeologists find these things.
Me: Do you want to be an archaeologist when you grow up?
VW: No, it's not my gift.
Me: Oh really? What is your gift?
VW: Well, I can draw.
Me: Yes, and you have imagination.
VW: God gives imagination to everyone.
Me: Maybe, but you're using your imagination in your gifting of drawing. That's excellent. Maybe you'll be a great artist someday. You could draw painting or comic books or create computer games.
VW: Yes.
Me: Well, keep on doing that for God!
VW: Okay.

The Centimeter

Have you ever eaten a meter of food? If it comes in a wheelbarrow and on a sword, it's actually possible. And if you share with 8 other people.(My new favorite restaurant)

"Prayer Lane"

I've decided when I wander down Memory Lane that I should try to turn it into a focused Prayer Time for the people who come to mind. Today it was my missionary cousins for some reason. Okay, the reason wasn't that far-fetched. I drove from my old home today in Spittal, Austria through 5 of the 9 provinces to Vienna and on the way passed through Villach, Klagenfurt, Wolfsberg, Graz, and Vienna, all places that we lived in. I tried to take car snapshots and hope to post them on facebook soon. But, wherever you are Poths, Cumings, Custers, Eubanks, Wedins, Wrights, Perssons, Jorgensens, Klingsmiths, and Schneiders, I want you to know that I miss you and am praying God richly blesses you in 2010. Thanks for being part of my family! Love you.

Vacation update

You know when God gives you little moments, little "love letters" my friend calls them? He knows us so perfectly well and what we enjoy. For me, one of those gifts I love to get is a quiet, clear night with a full moon in the Alps. Its always so bright, especially in winter when around me the moonlight reflects off the snow and the glacier-covered mountain tops. The icing in the cake is being near a lake where it can all reflect and sparkle below me as well as above me. Guess what he gave me a couple nights ago?

This whole week has been full of love letters: cuddling into a cozy, 5oo-year-old mountain cabin with a blanket, a fire, and a cup of wassail; an hour to read a book for fun in my favorite coffee shop while the snow falls outside my window; and dancing the waltz while fireworks explode around us and then spending the first hour of the new year praying with friends whose faith I've had the privilege of seeing grow for the past decade. This has been a very relaxing, wonderful vacation, and God is showering me with his affection.