Up

January 31, 2011

We were driving downtown and saw the library in the distance, which really is a beautiful, big building, but next to the huge sky scrapers, it looks like a tiny house (it's the little steeple looking building between the two skyscrapers)!  We realized it was just like the movie Up, with the huge buildings growing around the smaller ones that have been there for years.  Just another beautiful picture of LA! 

Out of Burgers?!?!

January 30, 2011

I have some friends (Mer and Mike) who have been talking up this French Restaurant, Comme Ca, they say it has the "best burgers in the world".  So tonight we decided to go there for dinner to try them out and see if they lived up to their reputation.  Sadly, the restaurant was out of burgers (WHAT?!?!), so we had to go somewhere else. 

We ended up at a burger place called 8oz. Burger Bar, where we had great burgers and fries, but probably not the best in the world, and lots of fun!  We are still planning on going back to Comme Ca to try those burgers one day.

I Love LA

January 29, 2011

Here is the beautiful city I live in.  : )  The past few weeks have been so beautiful; bright blue sky, warm and sunny days.  This picture is taken while I was on the 110 freeway.  It's crazy that on this super busy freeway, filled with traffic, sitting in your car wanting to cry because its been way too long since you have last moved... you can look up and see this beautiful sky line in the distance.  Ahhhhh, what a great way to get your mind off of the traffic! 

Cuz This Is Thriller

January 28, 2011
The school that I work at has something we call Free Electives.  Each quarter the middle school students get to choose a fun class for Friday afternoons, something different and exciting for them to do to start the weekend off right.  The first quarter I taught a photography elective, the second quarter I did a "movies" elective (we just watched movies, we didn't make them) and now for third quarter I am helping my friend teach this:

That's right!  We are teaching a group of 11 middle school students the Thriller dance!  We are very excited to teach it, but soon realized that we better learn it before our first class next Friday.  Tonight was our first practice.  Wow!  MJ makes it all look so easy!
We finally got one sequence down, that we think our students can learn, in about a month, maybe...  So, we may get through the whole song, or we may just teach them part of the Thriller dance, we'll see. 

One more thought: Michael Jackson is seriously amazing!  I have always known he was good, but when you really watch and try to do a cheap imitation of what he is doing, you realize that normal peoples bodies don't move like that!!

PS: Don't worry, I'm sure there will be pictures of the students, and possible the teachers in our best Michael Jackson poses, posted for one of the Fridays we are teaching this elective. 

Oh, My Aching Finger Tips

January 27, 2011

Tonight at family group Leah and Danielle played their guitars.  After the meeting part of the night was over I played Danielle's guitar for just a moment and it got me itching to play again!  So, once I got home I decided to pull out the old guitar, blow off all the dust, tune it up and play a few songs.  It was fun and it felt great to be playing again, except for the pain in my finger tips! 

Guatemalan Breakfast

January 26, 2011

Tonight I made Guatemalan breakfast for dinner, yummy!  Jen, Steph and Leah came over to help me eat all the goodness.  We had eggs, re-fried black beans, plantains, bread and Mexican Crema.  What better way to wrap up a day than good friends and good food?  Oh yeah, after dinner we did a little dancing, and that made it even better!  (Now time to grade some 5th grade papers...)

A Place to Breathe

January 25, 2011

Technically I did not take these pictures today...but I did take them yesterday.  : )  This is where I live!  Can you believe it?  Sometimes I can't.  The beach is where I can breathe.  Whenever I need to clear my head, I go to the beach.  Yesterday I just could not imagine being in the city for one more minute, so I headed to the beach, and it was exactly what I needed. 

I stayed until the sun went down, and it was a beautiful sunset!  Even though the picture is pretty, you can never capture the full beauty in a photo, but I still had to try!

WHAT?!?!

January 24, 2011
OK, so this picture does not show exactly what we saw in Target tonight, but I will try to explain:

 

 First of all, this man is wearing a red bandanna on his head, funny, but nothing too strange.  And he is talking on the phone, nothing out of the ordinary about that.  The strange part is that the phone he is talking on is an old fashioned hand set, the kind that hangs up on the wall.  And, the hand set is attached to a long, coiled cord, leading to the front section of his basket, where the other end of the phone is sitting.  Here's an example of the phone he was talking on, except his was brown...

 So either this guy is crazy, and is having his very animated conversation with no one, or he has rigged up  his cell phone to look like an old phone, either way, pretty hilarious!  We followed him around Target for a little while, and I finally got this shot.  I really wanted a close up of the phone, but he never stopped his conversation so I could talk to him.  It was such a funny thing to see, I loved it!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

January 23, 2011

Sometime when I'm having one of those days, all I want to do is escape into a good book.  Today was one of those days, and thanks to my friend Tracy, I had a GREAT book to escape into!  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a story that I did not want to end.  I wanted to know more about the people and their lives of courage, hope and the bonds of friendship that formed out of horrible circumstances.  It is a book I would highly recommend, even if your not in the middle of one of those days.

Farewell to Friends

January 22, 2011

Today we had a going away party for Terry and Tran (the couple in the middle sitting in the chairs).  Being on staff with World Impact for 10 years I have seen a lot of people come and go.  It's always hard when someone in our family decides its time to move on.  But we know that they are in good hands, and that they have good things ahead of them.  Best wishes to my friends!  : )

Just Dance

January 21, 2011

I got a new game for the Wii, it's called "Just Dance 2".  It is so much fun!!!  You pick a song and follow the moves as the character dances on the screen.  Leah and Steph came over tonight to play and of course we had to add some beautiful costumes to our amazing dance moves...I think I have a new favorite video game!

Memories of Guatemala

January 20, 2011
Today is my Spanish teacher's birthday (my teacher in Guatemala).  I sent him a message in the morning saying Happy Birthday, and all day I was remembering my time in Guatemala.  So, once again, I am not going to post a picture I actually took today, but some pictures of my time in Guate.

This is Luis Fernando.  Today is his birthday.  He was my teacher for most of my time at Language School in Guatemala.  He made learning fun, with all the crazy things he would say, I would have to find the words to argue back and talk some sanity into him... : )

This is the Spanish school I attended, Sol Latino in Xela.  It was a great place to learn, it had a family feel to it, which I loved..

Laurie and Selvin were the most amazing hosts, along with Selvin's family in Guatemala.  They were there to pick me up at the airport, making my arrival and transition to Guatemalan life so much easier.  And it was such a comfort knowing the whole time I was there that they were only 4 hours away and I could call them if I needed anything!  I stayed with them at the beginning of my time, for Thanksgiving week, and again before I returned to LA.  Elizabeth, Kevin and David were so much fun to spend time with too!

Even though I was there for Spanish school, I got to see a lot of the country.  It was beautiful!

We went to the beach,

we saw the ruins in Antigua,

 we went to some beautiful natural hot springs, Fuentes Georginas, so relaxing,

we went to the jungle, in Tikal, it was the first time I had even been in a jungle, and I loved it,

 and we saw Mayan ruins in Tikal as well (my favorite thing that I got to experience),

and we hiked volcanoes!

 We hiked up this volcano, Pacaya, and were that close to lava!  Amazing!  This is also the volcano that erupted last summer.  Grace and Laura came to visit me over Thanksgiving week, and we did all kinds of sight-seeing.  It was so fun to have a piece of home with me after being gone for a few months.

Happy Birthday Luis Fernando!  Thanks for letting me have such great memories today!

Apartment 108

January 19, 2011

A friend and I were talking  today about how our homes need to be a place of safety and comfort to us, and how if they are not, it effects us in really hard ways.  In thinking about this more, I was reminded of how much I love my apartment.  It is a place I can go to to get away from it all.  It is a place of safety and rest.  I love my little apt. 108!

This is my favorite chair in my house.  It is a great place to sit and relax, read, curl up and take a nap or have a chat with a friend, and it is exactly where I am sitting right now!  : )

Self Portraits

January 18, 2011

In 8th grade art class we made self portraits with oil pastels.  I think they did a pretty outstanding job!  Even though this picture isn't the greatest of them (I captured lots of funny faces here), their drawings show their true smiles and beautiful selves.  Just two weeks left with these guys, then we're on to 7th grade art... the fun never ends! 

Art Day

January 17, 2011

Today was another BEAUTIFUL day in LA.  We decided to have an art day outside, of course. We packed up our art supplies and headed out to the school to sit on the grass and make some master pieces (this pictures was taken once I moved back into my living room).  I didn't get very much done on my canvas, but it was fun just to be out in the fresh air and to start something new.  Maybe I'll put up a picture of the finished product once I get done.

Friends, Pizza and The Golden Globes

January 16, 2011

The awards season is always fun and entertaining.  Having a get-together with friends to watch the Golden Globes was the perfect way to end the day.  Steph and Leah were great hosts; they made some savory appetizers and home made pizza with tomato sause, basil, porchetta and lots of garlic, delicious!  Thanks girls!

A Day Out Of The City

January 15, 2011

Today was really fun!  We went to Ventura and walked around down town, and tried on some really great sunglasses!  : )

Our next stop was the tide pools in Carpenteria.  Luckily we brought our rain boots, so we didn't get our feet wet or hurt walking around on all the rocks. 

We saw lots of animals; dolphins, seals, star fish, sea enenamies, hermit crabs, sea slugs, tons of birds...

 

 It was such a beautiful day at the beach.  It was in the high 70's, in January.  I love where I live!  

The Streets of LA

January 14, 2011

Can anyone tell me why I got a ticket at this corner after turning left?  It is a one way street and there at two big right turn arrows with lines through them and "Do Not Enter" signs to the right, but I got pulled over for turning left (not today, but I went to take some pictures to see if there is any chance I can get out of the ticket).  Talk about confusing!  Plus, on the day I got pulled over I was coming home from getting blood work done because I was really sick and I just wanted to go get a coffee, which is just to the left of this street...sigh.

Translation Please

January 13, 2011

Well, I guess you can't really see it, but this is a letter to the parents of the kids at the school I teach at: one page is in English and the other in Spanish, and I translated it (not completely by myself, I had a little help from Google Translate, and of course I also had some help from my good friend Sara, but for the most part, I did it on my own)!!  I was very proud because there were a lot of non-every day words related to fitness and wellness that I learned, and lots of different verb tenses I had to remember from my classes in Guatemala.  It was a big challenge, but a fun one too!  I can't wait to start taking some more Spanish classes in February!

Long Lasting Friendships

January 12, 2011

OK, so this picture was not taken today, but it is one of my best friend's birthday today, so I am including a picture of her in my photo journal.  Marilyn and I have been friends since my freshman year of high school, which was a lot of years ago!  She has been a great friend to me and I am so blessed to have her in my life.  I look forward to all the years of friendship we still have ahead of us.  Happy Birthday Marilyn!  I hope you are having a great day and look forward to an extended birthday when we can get together and celebrate!!

Bunny Trouble

January 11, 2011

As I was walking home tonight, I saw this huge bunny in the yard of the house I used to live in.  I'm pretty sure it lives across the street, but just came over for a visit.  He (or she) was so cute!  It was really friendly, and even came over so I could touch it once!  You never know what animals you will meet in LA...   

Spaghetti Squash

January 10, 2011

OK, today we get 3 photos.  Spaghetti squash is one of my new favorite things to cook up and eat!  It is way less filling than real noodles, and so much fun to shred apart.  Then you can add all kinds of yummy toppings; this one has chicken, mushrooms, spinach, onion and a little bit of spaghetti sauce.  What a delicious dinner!

Living a Clean Life

January 9, 2011

Sometimes it just has to be done.  Even when there are a million other things calling your name, cleaning day just won't let you go.  I'm not sure if I had waited too long, or if I just dragged in some really strong dirt, but this particular cleaning day did my broom in...mid-sweep it snapped right in half!  Maybe that means I don't have to sweep ever again?!?!  Here's to hoping!

Come Fly WIth Me

January 8, 2011

I was always fascinated by the people who hold/sell huge bunches of balloons, and I always kind of wanted to hold them myself (and fly away with them like Gonzo in the Muppet Movie, or Curious George).  Today at Disneyland I got to do just that!  The only catch was that the balloon lady had to keep holding the end of the bunch, so that if I let go, they wouldn't all fly away.  I was surprised by how hard they pulled on me, making me believe I really could lift off into the night sky.  And I was thankful the sales lady had a good grip on them when she charged a dad $24 for two balloons!  I did not want to have to replace all of the balloons in the bunch for $12 a piece...

Birthday Celebration

January 7, 2011

Today is my friend's birthday!  Some of us went out to Yogurtland for a quick after school celebration.  Did you know that you get up to one pound of free yogurt on your birthday at the YL in Little Tokyo (the one on 2nd)?  We were big spenders, treating our friend to a free treat on her birthday!  : )

The Gathering

January 6, 2011

The first Thursday of each month we have something we call "The Gathering".  All of our Los Angeles World Impact staff comes together to eat dinner and catch up.  After dinner we have someone share a message with us.  This month we had Dr. Keith Philips with us, the founder and president of World Impact.  He began working in the inner city in 1965, and World Impact was officially launched in 1971, 40 years ago!  He shared with us an amazing vision of where we are headed in the next year and for years to come.

 There is also a friendly competition with one friend to sit in this seat every month, next to the pole.  Sadly he was not at the gathering this month, but that didn't take away my feeling of victory as I sat here tonight!  : )

Wednesday = Boot Camp

January 5, 2011

Boot Camp, need I say more?!?!  Every Wednesday we have an hour of boot camp (which is just a lot of exercise) in the gym at the school, led by our fearless leader Michelle.  About half way through I took a little break to get this picture...  Today was lap day, which meant that after anything we did we had to run one or two laps around the gym.  We LOVED it!!  : )


PS. Leah was working REALLY hard showing off her muscles! 

A Morning in Second Grade

January 4, 2011

This morning I got the chance to sub in second grade!  It was a great morning with a wonderful class.  We did calendar time together and they wrote in their journals before Mrs. Abe came in.  This picture shows them with their finished journal page, they wrote about a Polar Express Day they had before they went on Christmas break.  They all said their favorite part of the day was drinking hot cocoa, eating popcorn and getting to wear comfy, cozy clothes to watch the movie. 

And I had to add the second picture, because they got to make silly faces, and they are just so cute!  : )