The One-derful One-ders of Grade One

A taste of today's lesson:

What is peace?

"Is it a slice of cake?"

"Peace is sleep."

"Peace is disco-dancing."

"Peace is helping a friend."

I've become accustomed to leaving huge gaps of time between each blog post, often after a school day, my brain is feeling fairly fried and there is not much going in my brain to write about.

However, right now I find myself enjoying a phenomenally gorgeous fall Saturday, and I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Langley with a dear friend, getting ready to dive into an afternoon of lesson planning and organizing my work.

I am enjoying being referred to as 'Miss Jacobson' in my Grade One class...this year will be quite a year of learning. My class (as every class does) has a huge range of learning levels in every subject, and figuring out how to make learning interesting and engaging for students of all levels will be a challenge. Let alone mastering classroom management skills...ha...

I have been blessed immensely with two teachers (doing a job-share) as my School Associates, and they are wonderful teachers, full of a lot of information and knowledge, and are great in the classroom. I feel confident that I will come out of this year prepared to teach...wherever that may be.

I'm going to dive back into work but I plan on seeing you again soon on my blog...with beautiful weather like there is outside, lots of teaching stories and Halloween fun and Christmas on the horizon...there will be lots to blog about :)

____________________________________________________

Here will be a new blog addition where I will have little stories from school:

The One-derful One-ders of Grade One

Each day, the students have Guided Reading. While my teacher works with one group at a time, the rest of the students rotate through different centers. As they work, they are not allowed to talk to or ask the teacher questions because normally the teacher is busy with a group and should not be interrupted. Thus, to get in the habit, they are not suppose to ask me questions either because eventually I'll be leading the small group and will not be available to talk to either.

So on one particular day, I sat and was writing and observing the different classroom tasks. I watched through the corner of my eye as students would watch me and then decide to approach to ask a question.

"Miss Jacobson..."
I would respond with, "I'm invisible."
This group smiled and remembered they couldn't talk to me, so they wandered away.

A few moments later, another few students approached me.

"Uh, Miss Jacobson, how do we..."
I again responded with, "I'm invisible."

One little boy looked at me with a raised eyebrow and honestly spoke, "No you're not, I can see you."

I chuckled and smiled, "No, I'm invisible", and gave him a wink, thinking he would understand.

He reached out his little hand and stroked my arm, "But, I can feel you, so you must be here."

I could not argue with his logic, and after reminding him in simple language that he could not ask me questions, he nodded his head with understanding and moved on.

I have learned I have to be pretty simple in my speech and instructions with Grade One's. :)

Well, hello...

So summer 2010 has basically come to an end, and it was amazing, but surprisingly busier than I had imagined it may be. It was full of good work, amazing friends, volleyball and laughs. Once again I packed up some bags, threw them into two vans, and my folks and I took the journey across a great expanse of water, only to arrive back in Langley.

It's strange being back in this area and not being apart of TWU's student leadership orientation that is happening right now. Instead, we are having our teaching orientation, and tomorrow I'm off to meet the teacher I will be meeting with. I can't believe that after so many years, since I was a wee lassie, my dream to be a teacher is truly on my door step.

Our new little apartment it quite grand, new and beautiful, with lovely trees out our windows. I think it will be a fantastic home. I'll show some pictures sometime, hopefully.

As usual, it always takes me a while to transition out of summer life and being back on the mainland, living near a highway (yuck). Only affirms that I am not really meant for city life.

Your prayers would be most appreciated as I get my heart back into being here, and especially as I begin this program, that I will be fully stoked and ready to immerse myself fully in the learning.

The new journey begins...feel free to come along for the ride.

It is almost Canada Day...and I am excited. I love Canada. And the Ducky 500 Race.

ALSO - it's what you have all been anxiously awaiting for sooo many months...that's right folks, the release of the first videos of begging Ellen Degeneres to be my friend.

The more views and support I have the better...here's to making the random impossible dreams coming true.

Check out: www.youtube.com/jenwantstomeetellen

Happy Canada Day!!

Everytime I drive by the ocean...

...my heart begins to smile and the salty sea air is so wonderfully awakening to my nose that I can barely contain how joyful it makes me.
Yesterday especially, the mix of ocean air and campfires was delightfully intoxicating, and the gorgeous blue sky, and the high tide waves rolling in was absolutely breathtaking. As I stepped out onto the beach with the slightly warm wind twirled around me, I felt completely alive and thankful to experience God's beautiful creation in such a rich way. We cannot help but look to the Creator amidst such beauty.

"I will praise You O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your
wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your
name, O Most High." - Psalm 9:1-2

Basket-case...

Well, I'm not quite a basket-case, not yet anyways. I'm entering the busy stretch of work with our AGM coming up in a week and a half. Lots to do...but I am always so blessed on the day of our AGM because I get to spend the evening with some fabulously lovely people with hearts of gold.

I spent a few hours today pricing hand-woven baskets from Uganda. They are gorgeous...and there were many...and they kick started by basket-case craziness. It's amazing to think that the hands of beautiful Ugandan woman put time and effort into each basket. I wonder what they were thinking as they made them...what kind of conversations did they have with the other women around them...and who knows how much time has passed since their completion, but there I was, now on the other side of the world, sitting at a table looking at them.

I feel blessed to be a part of something special during the summer that does something that matters and helps some one far away...

If you're interested, ACTS does some pretty sweet stuff, so check out our website: www.acts.ca...

I have been writing on this blog just over exactly four years...

That means a lot of random thoughts and photos...thanks for all of you who still read this page and show some interest in what I write ;) You make me feel like a famous and accomplished writer, thanks :)

A friend of mine introduced me to this cool website called www.booksneeze.com, where you can become a member, and then they send you books for free, as long as you write up a 200 word book review on a blog after you read the book. Therefore, I started a second blog solely for the purpose of the books I read this summer. That way, if you don't care about books (which everyone should), you won't have to read my blog posts here. BUT, if you love books, check out - readingwithjen.blogspot.com - to hear about my summer reading list :)

And then it dawned on me...

...I had graduated.

One degree down, and one to go. I feel quite blessed to be a graduate of Trinity Western. This weekend festivities were wonderful to celebrate with my family and friends, but also a hard time to say farewell to a season of life that has finished. Here is a glimpse of the weekend...

Rika, Susanne, Kari and I before the Baccalaureate ceremony Friday evening.

Yes, I know...they are gorgeous roommates.

A good chunk of our gang.

Kari and I before our ceremony.

Thanks mom and dad for all the support

(mentally and financially - *sigh*, couldn't have done it without you)

Scotty boy and me, one of two of the best brothers ever.

Friends :)

Danny Hsiao has talent for capturing prime moments with his camera.

My second family, the Macaulays, who loved me all along the journey.

My island gals from home who came for the celebrations, Rach and Jayme.

These girls rock my socks.

Summer has kicked off well since being home - youth group, volleyball, birthday parties, coffee dates, unpacking, work...I am very thankful for a solid group of friends to return to, they are spectacular. Sadly, Jayme departed for a cool summer job in Alberta, and I miss her terribly. Nonetheless, the beauty of the Comox Valley brings joy to my life each morning and I am reminded of the wonders of God's creation each day. I am so stoked to be back here.

Keltie and Phil's 'Welcome Home.Belated Keltie Birthday.Goodbye Jayme' Toga Party

The Greek Gang

I still miss my roomies, it takes a bit of getting used to now having three other ladies with me. Kristin Ramsak took some stellar photos for us, such as this grand photo. They shall be sweet keepsakes.

This concludes the latest photo update.

I've been reading through Hosea this week, and it amazes me every time. The fact that the Lord tells Hosea to marry a harlot stuns me, and the fact that he is obedient is phenomenal. This school year I've been learning a lot about what it means to be obedient to God's call in our lives, regardless of whether it looks like it makes sense to those around us, especially Christians around us. I have often been scared to act in different situations in fear of being judged by fellow Christians if my actions don't appear correctly 'Christian'. I then was struck with that gut-yucky feeling when I wondered how I would most likely have judged Hosea and his situation.

I pray that my ears will be attuned to hear His voice, and that my heart will have courage to move and take action in obedience to God's call in my life, regardless of how small or large a situation may appear. I pray that my only actions will be to honor and glorify God.

"I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,

In lovingkindness and in compassion,

And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.

Then you will know the Lord."

Hosea 2:19-20

Happy Mother's Day mom...

Mom, you are a wonderful woman. Thanks for loving us kids, for all your prayers, guidance, wisdom, teasing, cooking, baking, hugs, blessings, scares...and always going above and beyond for us. You are remarkable and we have been so blessed by you. Much love.

Ready...set...go...

Go...I have jumped full swing into summer...golly gee, I haven't even been home for a week yet. This is a mini update...I'm back for my fifth summer at ACTS, which is such a blessing. I get to work with wonderful people. David is trying to hook me on coffee, as well as getting me back into gear for learning a new word every day, thus the sticky notes. At the end of the summer I have to write a story using all my new vocabulary. The lovely roses are from my dear 'Gramma' Tricia, one of the volunteers. I feel so happy to be home, especially as I drive along the beach, glance at the blue sky and glorious mountains...God's creation is so evident and beautiful it gets my heart going, and I'm just so thankful to be back here connecting with friends and family.

I will give a more detailed update in the future...complete with some other grad photos and perhaps a dash of some other photos the world may enjoy.

Until then, this is Jen, signing out.

All good things come to an end...

...and we made it!!

Thanks to my wonderful parents, my stellar brothers, my beautiful roommates, and the love, encouragement and prayers of many relatives and friends.

And the learning shall continue...

Exam Season...I am still alive.

Sadly, the Chocolate bunny no longer is alive.
The photos are examples of procrastination tactics.

Back to work, I go...

I miss writing songs...I could use a dose of creativity...or time to spend trying to be creative.

The last few weeks have been quite full. I made it home for Easter which was so wonderful. My parents blessed me and three of my pals in numerous ways.

Now, back at the grindstone, working at finishing well.

So yes, these last few weeks have actually been quite full, but wonderfully full. I've come to the point where I'm realizing that time is becoming limited as I finish up the last few assignments, partake of some last random adventures, embrace conversations with pleasant people of TWU, and before I know it...I'll be wearing that grad gown, skipping across the stage to my diploma, and then hopping on the ferry, homeward bound. I am very much enjoying these days...embracing each moment...especially as the beauty of spring as it is unraveling before my eyes, it has been glorious.

My little mind has been processing many things lately, and it can be frustrating when I awaken from my sleep and the things of life pounce into my thoughts. It takes me a few moments to shove the thoughts of life out of my mind and to lie in bed, listen to the birds, and pray for the day ahead.

Oh how I desire my heart to be rooted in Christ. I've been pondering what it is to know Christ intimately. Not just reading the bible or praying daily, but really digging deep into the Word, really praying as if I am talking to the Creator of the universe, really embracing a real relationship.

God is doing some neat things in my heart.

"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free!" - John 8:31-32

May you be encouraged to dig deep into scripture and to spend time with the Lord.

Blessings to you...

Memories from Chicago...

Our Team...
Dan, Kevin, Heidi, Karey, Lindsay, Me, Zac, Peter

Handing out food at the shelter

Lovely Granny

Cleaning dishes

P.E at the school with the Pre-Ks and Kindergartners

Sweeties

Lil' Jimmy

Saying goodbye on our last day

Chicago at night

Linds, Karey, Heidi and I skating...

Zac, Peter, Dan and Kev skating

As close as Peter and I could get to Michael Jordan's statue

At the zoo!!! Giraffes :)

Finally seeing Monkeys!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to use everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:2-8

It is a hard thing to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. Ironically however, it is when our eyes and heart are focused on Him, then the problem's of daily life fade in comparison and we are able to just 'be' and live life in freedom as we trust in the faithful character of the Lord.

Mom reminded me these song lyrics this week:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Amen. I'm thankful that the things of earth will 'strangely' fade away in comparison to Christ. That the things I let my mind wastefully ponder over for too long, or the things I worry about and cannot change, will fade in comparison to knowing the heart of our Lord. May we strive to have Christ as our focus.

At twenty minutes to midnight:

First and sadly, my camera card is acting up, so my plethora of photos are unattainable at this time. Lame sauce. Thus, no exciting pictures yet.

Tonight, we had a successful surprise birthday party for Susanne and Rika - it was stellar. Those girls are most amazing.

Thank you to the two friends who wrote me letters this week. Both letters were full of biblical truths and encouragement, and they have touched my heart deeply. Perhaps I shall go into detail another time, but for now, I have been inspired and challenged to dig deeper into my relationship with the Lord, and to allow myself to be vulnerable in His hands, to be His clay.

I am oh so eager to return to the island for Easter break...it will be a most needed time. The beach is a callin...

Until next time.

Thoughts from Friday, February 26th

Last day here. It was full. Golly, let's take a breather...

Alright. So, it was kind of tough to actually get out of bed this morning. I decided to go back to the school, it was sad to not get another chance to see Granny and a few other faces one last time.

I worked in the Grade 2 class for the morning. Those kiddies were hyper today. Issac yelled emphatically with a wet face from tears, "I hate you", simply for putting his name on the board after numerous warnings. Ha, poor kid. Two of the boys got into a brutal fight at recess which somewhat freaked me. The vocab of some of these kids often surprises me.

After consoling a girl who got hit in the head accidentally from a basketball, and trying to talk through the fight with the other two boys, I stood there momentarily thinking "This is insanity, how do these teachers do this every day?"

Debbie (the principal), poked her head into the class just before lunch to say she needed me to go teach/hang out with the Pre-K kids. Cute hooligans.

Zac and Karey were All Stars since they taught the Kindergartners all day without a lesson plan left for them. Mad props. We combined the Pre-K and Kindergarten class for P.E., which was somewhat chaotic but we managed to actually have them play a few games.

In the insanity of the day, those grade 7/8-ers were looking good to hang out with.

I hung out with the Grade 5 class for silent reading, and then we stayed for a while at the after school program. I played Checkers for the first time and was able to beat a 5 year old, anyone older than that was able to cream me. Little Isaiah gave me one heck of a good hug before we left, I shall miss all those cute faces.

We hit up Deep Dish pizza after a long drive to find the special spot, met a few other Canadians which is always nice. Sadly, not enough time to see the Michael Jordan statue, but we did go up the Hancock building. Gorgeous view of the city, and such an interesting history.

I am excited to sleep tonight. Can't believe we are already going back tomorrow. I look forward to my own bed, some clean clothes, and Canada...yet my heart has been changed by this place and I shall miss it.

I cannot believe these teachers survive in such an intense setting. With little pay, and literally working from 8am until 3 or 4pm, with the kids at recess and lunch, they are a hardcore troop of educators.

Today I was dissed by a 5 year old...

Back at the school today. Started with dusting the Grade 3 classroom. Mom, you would be proud of my cleaning skills.

It was fun being back in the school and having the kids be stoked to see us back, getting the "Hey Miss Jen!" in the hallways. I feel blessed that God has given my brain space to remember many new names, it makes me own heart happy when I can say a personal howdy to the kids.

I was able to work one-on-one with a few kiddies today, which is nice to get a bit more interactions. The kids have been so eager and welcoming to us all that it's swell to be there. It's hard though to see that such small classrooms are so chaotic compared to larger classrooms back home, and that the learning levels of some of the students are still not up to par. That is not uncommon however to have a few kids a little slower than the rest, but seeing how there is such a lack of support or extra time for the teachers to input into their students makes it harder to leave. After only two days in the school, my heart is definitely attached.

Got to play with some of the kids in their after school program today as well. It was stellar playing basketball with some of the little boys and girls, and duck-duck-goose. Holy smokes, cute kids. Paris, (yes, an odd name for a boy), makes me smile, and we were able to play some Lego together for a while. And Lauda, this darling chubby-cheeked chicka had on the cutest dress and was so focused on building a jumbo-lego house.

Lil' Jimmy, who I thought was wicked cute and sweet, turned out to be a little....mischevious fellow. I did not know that a 5 year old could have so much attitude bottled inside. He uses his cuteness as well...those cute little eyes look at you, and before you know it, that boy is whippin' out lingo I couldn't believe was part of his vocabulary, quite comical. As he accused me of trying to swipe his lego, or even sitting there plotting to steal it, I could not help but laugh. He also proceeded to whisper cruel words that will take me years to recover from.

Jimmy: She so pretty, hey man?
Nathan: Yeah, I know she pretty.

Little Jimmy looks up at me. (And yes, I was thinking this too for a split second, "Aw, how cute and sweet. He thinks I'm pretty. He's not so bad after all.")

Jimmy: Not you! Her! (pointing to Lindsay at the end of the table).
Insert the sound of my heart shattering.

Ah well, despite that, I faced my fears and hung out in the Grade 7/8 room doing a poetry lesson with them. Praise the Lord I was able to remember some of their names from a few earlier encounters, because by knowing their names, it blew a few of their socks off and they seemed to have a bit of respect for me. It's scary enough being in a large classroom with a bunch of kids, let alone a classroom that has TWO tarantula spiders for pets. What the heck!? I made it out alive.

Now, tomorrow is our last day, strange the week has flown by. I'm finding it hard to decide where I want to be for my final day. Hanging out with Granny and other friendly faces at the shelter, or being with the kiddies at the school...time shall tell.

Tonight holds organizing the basement, hot chocolate and an intense game of Killer Bunnies, woot woot.

Once I have more computer access, I'll post photos of all the special kids and people from the school and the shelter. And hey! We have our first day of sunshine and blue sky!! Happiness.

"You'll see 'im in church one mornin and ya heart be like 'bang!'"

Today was flippin' sweet.

We went back to the shelter, and I'm growing more and more fond of the place. Makes me sad that we will be leaving and who knows if I'll ever make it back out here.

This morning we were helping hand out extra food, basically a store to those who need the extra food. I met the most wonderful woman, Ira, fondly known as "Granny" by everyone else. I now have a Chicago granny. She even calls me Jennifer :) I was set beside her to hand out some veggies and fruit, and enjoyed some lovely conversation. She is an absolute gem!

The other woman beside me proceeded to keep everyone in order, and yelled more than a few times "Keep your gates shut and move the line on ya'll". Ha, and then I would hear sweet Granny say "Hey there sweetums, what can I get ya today?". I couldn't help but smile.

Again, looking into the eyes of so many different faces touched my heart. I saw the bluest blue eyes on this elderly man, yet they were filled with such a lack of hope. While others grinned their big lack-of-teeth smiles, and were so grateful and sweet. Never in my life have I been happy to hear 'Why thank ya baby" so often.

This funny older man who seems to be a common resident at the shelter continually calls us over. He is stellar. A bit of a kook I might say, however, he makes me laugh. He told a few of us gals who we will marry, mine sounds like he will be a pretty decent guy. Lindsay is gonna get a stellar ripped godly fellow named John, which I think was nice for her to hear. I was quite blessed by him though as he poured out some godly truth, and blessed us and told us to stay focused on our schooling because God has great plans for each of us. Here, a man with so little, lavishly proclaimed God's love and truth on us, and I felt overwhelming blessed.

I actually got a little choked up today. Looking at all those faces I had to hold back some tears. Knowing I'd be going back to a warm place to say, and soon to fly home to my comfy life while these others would walk out into the snowy cold weather, made me so grateful yet undeserving.

Got to cut probably 6 cows worth of meat in the kitchen too, yikes. And I am pro at washing dishes now (Rika, you'd be so proud of me).

Our crew headed into the city to skate outdoors. It was frigidly cold at first but we eventually warmed up. Skating was sweet. I actually felt quite decent compared to the shocking amount of lame skaters out there. It was fun wandering around downtown with the light snowfall. This crew is stellar and our laughs are always continuous.

Aight, ya'll, I'm gonna sign out. Peter and I are trying to work on our gangsta lingo, there is some cool talk out here.

Tomorrow I'm back to the school. I'm stoked to see some of those kiddies again.
Jen J, signing out.

"Ahh nice, service with a smile."

Today we switched things up a bit and Lindsay, Kevin, Peter and I went to the homeless shelter downtown. We felt somewhat odd walking through the inner city with our brown sandwich lunch bags.

We immediately went to work cleaning and cutting potatoes, washing lettuce, and clearing out a back room.

Maybe not the greatest jobs, but people are so gracious and thankful. "God bless ya" is continually muttered or cheerfully expressed numerous times a day.

Handing out lunch was enjoyable, but a new experience.

My eyes met those of tired mothers, cute little youngins, sad elderly men, rough fellahs, as well as those that still hold a cheerful shine. One gentlemen saw my smile and chuckled, and cheered "Yeah- she's got teeth! She's got teeth! Service with a smile."

Peter and I sat and had lunch with a nice guy who used to work at the shelter but was now attending a Truman college down the road. We got talking about money, and how much schooling cost. He mentioned how others pay a hefty amount for some other schools in the area. I cringed inside thinking how much I pay to be at Trinity. While I have absolutely valued that experience, sometimes it is hard for me to really justify all the money I have put into that place. I sure hope my heart remains willing to serve where the Lord directs me, rather than desiring a comfortable shallow life for my future.

Now we are settled back in at our residence for the week. I'm about to go make a cup of tea, and maybe nap or read a book. We are planning to go skating tonight...

Many laughs have happened since our crew been here, God is good in unifying us and bonding together. Amen.

Chicago...windy city, and the snowy city.

Monday.

So we were supposed to get 10 inches of snow during the night...but God is good, and we only got about two. However, Chicago definitely knows how to handle their snow and the roads were cleared before we even looked out the window this morning.

Four of us piled into a car this morning at 7:45am. Debbie, the wife in the home we are staying at, is the principal of the inner city Christian school we took off to for the day.

We made it through the slush and entered the school. A smiley face met us at the bottom of the stairs as a few minutes passed, introducing himself, Corell, a student teacher. He laughed with a twinkle in his eye as he said this will most likely be like nothing we could expect. He said, "You'll probably get to teach a few lessons too!". Ha.

We organized our schedules for the day, willing to jump in wherever we could. I took off to the Grade 2 class, to be met by 12 or so kiddies, only one of which was a girl. Corell, ended up teaching them a class right after I got there. He entered the room, "YO!", and the kids responded with an equally energetic "YO!". After this going back and for three times, he hollers "Sit down in your seat and take a load off your feet!". Um...the only thing running through my mind at that moment? Pssh, that's flippin' cool - if only I could do that.

I left the class to chat with the teacher and get a bit of an introduction. Here, I was handed materials to teach the next lessons from 9:20 until 11:30am. Ha. Sweet.

So, I've already taught a Social Studies lesson on American history, mainly which I had the students teach me to review their material. They found it fun to know that we also celebrate Christmas, Easter and Halloween in Canada, but have a few different historical holidays. I also covered some language arts stuff, and now I am fondly referred to (at least I hope it's fond), as "Miss Jen".

Took them down to recess and smoked two kids in the head with a ball by accident...opps. They were tough though, no tears. Tears only come when I have to put their names on the board for not staying in their seats or constantly talking during the lesson.

I then went off to a Grade 5 class where I was handed the poetry lesson, and had the class all to myself. God is good and completely removed any stresses or worries and the lessons have all gone pretty good so far.

I helped out in the computer room a bit today as well. However, the Grade 7/8 kids are a little out of my league. Pretty sure two girls were mocking me and calling me "Crispy Cream". Being a white gal from Canada just doesn't make me that cool. Dang it. At least the young kids think I'm somewhat neat.

I can't wait to back :)

Put on those dancing shoes...and fly away!

Well, my feet are sore. We just had quite a stellar Reggae Dance fundraiser for Sierra Leone. Last time the dance hit campus, it wasn't as successful. But tonight, I was pretty impressed with a decent outcome of people and some rad tunes. Thus, we danced for over 2 hours and I'm just about ready to crawl into bed. Yawn.
Wahooo!!! Countdown to meeting Goofy, here I come!! A dream come true is upon my doorstep, and I shall be venturing to a fairytale castle in days. Prince Charming awaits. Time to go dream...

A slight side note addition: I just started my practicum at MEI Elementary school in a grade 5 classroom. Joy, you'll be excited to hear I'm finally doing a practicum in a Christian school, so I'm excited to see if I like it after a little more experience. The kids seem pretty sweet, and the teachers I've met thus far seem quite pleasant. I'll keep ya posted!

Signing out.

JJ

Here I sit, Monday evening, 10:46pm, eating salad for dinner. Yes, it's a little later than normal, but pssh - this salad is deeeelicious! Some chicken, cranberries, feta, spinach, nuts and a vinaigrette - voila, my taste buds are content.

I have three bright flowers on my desk which have helped to bring a smile to my face over the last few days. It's been interesting pondering various situations in life this week. It has been a challenge to think as to whether I really trust in God's faithfulness in a wide variety of circumstances.

I've been reading through Genesis since the beginning of January. In Chapter 15, God promises Abram that he will have a large offspring, despite not having any children at the time. However, in Chapter 16 Sarai gets antsy and has Abram sleep with her maid in order that they may have the children that God promised. The story continues on to Hagar giving birth to a child, Sarai becoming jealous, yet even though all the confusion and lack of trust that Abram and Sarai showed by trying to bring God's plan into action in their own way, God continued to show His faithfulness. After issuing new names to the happy couple, and more time passes on, eventually in Chapter 21 we read:

"Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He has said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age..." (vs. 1-2).

Uh, amazing!

Despite lack of understanding, or taking life into our own hands, God remains faithful. And gracious. And good.

Even as I write these words, this has been helpful to affirm this in my mind and heart. I'm thankful that even in my broken moments, in my lack of understanding, in the unanswered 'why' questions, through my quiet tears, and shrugging my shoulders - God remains in control. He never lacks in love, forgets to be faithful, or extends His kindness.

God is good.

Day 1 in accomplishing Resolution #2.

Email sent to Ellen Degeneres.

Fingers crossed.

WOWZA - 2010!

The holidays have treated me well. My weeks at home have been full of wonderful friends, quiet moments, laughter with the family, good books, and cozy blankets. Despite my heart not fully wanting to return to the pressures of studying, it will be good to head to the land of roommates and textbooks for a final semester. Victory will be mine.

I'm not one to deeply ponder the benefits of 'New Years Resolutions', nor create any of my own for the year ahead that I constantly remember to strive for. In years past, I've had a few - but let's face it, the majority of those resolutions end up fading away into the deep recesses of the pages of my journal and memory, only to be forgotten. However, I'm changing my ways and creating two for 2010. Well, at least I'm going to try.

#1 - Last Sunday at church, Pastor Randy spoke about the importance of prayer in our lives, and thus, I hope that that will become a more disciplined area of my life.

#2 - I want to become a friend of Ellen Degeneres, make it on her show or somehow hear from her. Yeah, it's gonna happen.

Signing out...