Blue Three

I'm not a very athletic person (understatement!) so when people say they want to play, my stomach tightens just a hair. I know that I am about to either own my lack of skills or embrace my ability to make everyone else look good. So last night, as we sat around the table at Carinos and the answer to "What are we gonna do next?" came out as "Play!", I just prepared myself. Especially with this group. They are the softball, volleyball group of the world! However, we all had a very late night the night before so something that active was out. It was decided to go to one girls house for Hip Hop Uno.

Now those of you who think you know the game of Uno, do not be deceived. There is a whole new level of Uno that I was introduced to. First, the obvious - the game was played with Hip Hop in the background. Big deal, you may think, but watch out! If you are not immune to the effects of Hip Hop, you will be distracted and will lose track of the game. How do you know if you are easily distracted? Let me ask you this: Do you car dance? Do you secretly want to car dance but are afraid of being seen? Then this will also be your Hip Hop Uno downfall! It took me a while to build up a resistance to the music and would often slip into it as the game progressed. More than one person lost the game this way.

Along with the music, I was playing with real cut throat Uno players. All playfully competitive and very strategic, I learned to play this game with some new skills. The Uno we played as children took on a whole new meaning! As cruel as the dreaded "Draw Four" card can be, we all quickly discovered that a blue three can be just as damaging if you know how to look for it...

So if anyone is up for a game, I'm in!

Just in Case You're Curious.....

Guess what I'm doing this afternoon.....Breaking in my new boots! I'm SO EXCITED!! Since I'm not going on a vacation this summer, I decided to use the money from a math curriculum day to get my very first pair of boots. A friend went with me because Cavendars was having a sale. When the sales guy heard this was my first pair, he asked if I had just moved to Texas. When I said I grew up here, and acted like he was doing me a huge favor by finding me a good pair. He did! Now its time to break them in so I can wear them without killing my feet.

Sometimes it is the littlest things that can bring joy!

Pregnant Questions

Our regular teacher for class is in Kenya for the summer so until he gets back, some of the guys in our class are teaching through the book of James. Yesterday, we were going through James 1:27 - 2:13. Several things really stood out to me to make this an exceptional class. The fact that the presenter was working through it so visibly and honestly that he got choked up that he has to pause really touched me! We discussed the law and used a courtroom analogy to discuss our salvation. (A whole other post in itself but it is a better discussion than a blog.) He had us discuss two questions at our tables. They have been unspoken themes throughout our study of I John and have bled over into James. I would really like to hear what you would have said if you would have been sitting at my table. Here you go:

1. What does the 21st century American church look like?
2. What should the 21st century American church look like?

Please share.... :)

Attached

Tomorrow is my last day of training for a month. HALLELUJAH! It has been a month of trainings that I can actually use and am looking forward to that. The past six days have been a crash course in strategies gears towards helping second language learners. We got the theory for the first two days and then the last four have been observing a class using these strategies and then writing a unit in the afternoon.

During our time in the classroom, we have been silent observers. We sit against the wall and watch the class of 17 1st - 3rd graders go through a unit. Today I was caught off guard by how easily it has been to get attached to a couple of these kids. At one point, it took everything I had not to go get a little girl from Pakistan and pull her onto my lap. Seriously adorable and so shy due to know having much English. I don't know when it happened. She and a couple of others are just SO sweet.

While I was thinking on this, I got to thinking over relationships in the past - friendships, crushes, mentors, etc. The same thing was true in several cases. I find myself attached to people rather quickly. Most took longer than three days, thankfully. I don't know what it means that I get attached to people so quickly. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it just how it is? Yes, I think that is it - that's just how it is. Maybe I need to learn to hold people more at arm's length. Maybe I need to just embrace how I'm wired. Who knows?

Just an observation on a Wednesday....

Wake Up, Parents!

I heard these two facts today that I would LOVE to have all parent hear. I'll refrain from commentating on them and let these two facts speak for themselves:

• Research has shown that there is zero brain activity occurring when children are watching TV.
• Language development research has show it takes 85 times for a child to hear/work with a word before it becomes engrained in their vocabulary.

Helpful Hint

On Tuesday, here was my to do list: pack, take out the garbage, meeting, library, fill up with gas, get new tires, and get to Pleasanton in time for dinner. Mission accomplished - except for taking out the trash. So when I got back yesterday, just imagine what I walked in to smell. GROSS! In my hurry to get the smell out of the apartment, I forgot that there was a watermelon rind in the bottom of the can. I yanked the lid off and out flew about 25 fruit flies - everywhere! Again, GROSS!! Also, they multiply faster than rabbits so it has been annoying to say the least. I looked up how to get rid of them. Did you know that spraying them with windex 3-4 times kills them? It works - I know because I have been on a shoot out with the magic blue liquid. So far, I'm winning but also getting high on windex. Time for a break.....

So just a warning - don't forget to take out the garbage with you leave home. :)

42 Seconds of Hilarity!!

This has been a GREAT and exhausting week! I'll write soon but I HAD to share this extremely short clip I saw in my training. It is 42 seconds and I recommend watching it twice. The first time, watch the old lady. The second time, watch the driver. Both times, enjoy!!