A Video Summary of My Birthday

Birthday Messages From My Students

Click on each picture to enlarge. Turn on volume to listen to the song that goes with the video posted at the bottom of this entry.

Preparing for SCS's National Holiday

Tomorrow is my birthday and the pressure is on to outdo last year. The kids are excited, I'm excited. I think I've come up with a winner. We will celebrate Survivor style. More pictures after the challenges. I think we'll skip Tribal Council. I'm not allowed to vote anyone off. Too bad.

Before and After

Not much difference, huh? After almost hyperventilating at the salon, we decided to only take off about 1/4" from the length and add layers. The bottom picture is with layers and what my hair looks like when it dries naturally. Taking off some of the weight has allowed the waves to curl up. Nice and easy! I like it from the back. The front is another story. One I'm not going to tell...or show.

Classroom Fun

Determining Total Population (Grass Blades in Soccer Field)

Learning How to Find the Epicenter of An Earthquake

Studying the Properties of Polymers

Creating Byzantine Mosaics

The Biology Bunch

Designing a Submersible Using Buoyancy Physics

Providing Mother-Care

An excerpt from Ann Voskamp's blog "A Holy Experience"

Sometimes I catch myself, this laying a hand on my flatness, over that still cavity, and feeling the pulse of ache’s echoing howl. A woman’s body and soul is hollowed out to create, to weave, to knit in the private spaces. And so the longings come, yearnings to fill, to carry, to deliver.

And yet, I have come to think, does the womb need a seed, an unfurling, embryonic soul? Can any soul fill the void? While not necessarily with child, perhaps we may be with abandoned, with elder, with needy. The barren and deserted may become the dwelling place, the fertile home, of souls seeking mother-care.

And I realize: We never cease to be with child. Those of us who have birthed, and those of us who never have. We may make spaces within us for all of humanity, for their dreams, their stories, their hurts, their lives. Do we not, over the years, line our lives with the stretchmarks of love?

The privilege of carrying a soul is always ours. We may choose to never let our wombs languish empty. Always we may open and welcome another person to find nourishment and comfort within the empty places we have made just for them.

Somewhere under this night pinned up with stars, a baby sleeps near her mother’s face, her warm breath falling, her fists clenched tight. And we of empty uteruses still swell, making ourselves a dwelling place.

Bread and Fish

Eucharistia - an active grateful language to God as an act of worship

Eucharistia in Action

Jesus had been talking to large groups of people but as the sun went down and it began to get dark, the disciples told Jesus to send the crowds away so they could get food. Jesus responded, "They don't have to go anywhere. You feed them." The disciples were a bit incredulous because they only had five loaves of bread and two fish...not even enough to feed themselves. Jesus probably sighed and said, "Bring what you have to me." He picked up the basket of food and thanked His Father for it. He didn't complain that there wasn't enough. He didn't remind God that there were A LOT of people waiting to eat, He didn't make suggestions. He simply said, "Thank you."

This is the part I love:

"He gave them [the food] to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of pieces that were left over."

When Jesus spoke the language of eucharistea, God responded by not only satisfying, His blessings overflowed. It makes me once again look at the language I speak. It stirs in my heart the desire to speak eucharistea fluently, something I will only be able to do with practice.

Practice is hard. I must hammer out the rusty nails and replace with new. Still hanging on to that analogy. Actively speaking gratitude is worship that is right and pleasing to my Lord. Hebrews 12:28 says, "Be thankful and so worship God acceptably."

1st Birthday!

All Done!

Mirror hung, pictures up, holes in wall puttied and painted. We are ready for Miho!

Miho's Almost Completed Bedroom

I received the contract for Miho today, as well as her phone number and the promise of a first payment tomorrow. I still am not believing she will be with me until I have her in my possession. Her plane arrives at 8:35 Sunday morning. Of course, JP has to work a double shift so that leaves me alone with her. Anyway, the bedroom is almost done. Whether or not Miho ends up occupying it, it is ready for our next overnight guest. I really like it. I might hang out there and tell Miho she can have my room. It is really soft and cozy. I hope she's a nice girl.

Stoichiometry Lab With Chewable Lemonheads

Art: Greek Vases

We are working our way through the Art Periods in history. Our current project is Greek vases. The kids are enjoying it and have created/painted some pretty clever designs. Can you tell which one is struggling? Which one drives me to crave Prozac on a daily basis?