Family camping trip a success!

My family's recent trip to the ocean was gratifying and relaxing, exactly what we were all hoping for it to be.

I am taking a break from unpacking and cleaning my room to post some pictures, because, perhaps you would like to see some?

Our adventures at the ocean make for a long story, which I can tell you in person if you're interested enough to hear it.

Suffice it to say that my grandpa's Pacific Beach house, where we had planned on living during our stay, needed some work done that prevented us from staying there at all. The picture below shows a portion of the yard behind the house. This may give you a taste of what condition the house (not only the yard) was in.

So, we hopscotched from hotel to hotel. In fact, for each of the three nights we were there, we stayed in a different hotel. The proof is in the pictures.

Hotel #1 [3 beds, a fold-out couch, and a full-sized kitchen]:

Hotel #2 [only 2 beds this time, and a kitchenette]:

Hotel #3 [Our favorite - two beds, a futon, and a full-sized kitchen. It was just a 1-minute walk from the bach, and -oh- the decorations were all sand-dollar themed! So cute!]:

We spent a large chunk of our time doing two things:

1. Sleeping:

2. Eating:

 And sleeping:

 And eating:

And sleeping:

And eating!

Other than that, we did get to see the beach and spend some quality family time together. Here are some [probably random] of my favorite photos:



We missed Ivory. She couldn't go, because she was working all weekend. If not for that, it would have been the perfect family vacation, ups and downs and all.

To the beach!

Oliver woke up this morning and, from the top of the stairs, wailed, "We forgot to go to the beach!"

It amuses me how he thinks everyone is as carefree as him, that we don't plan things or live off of schedules. What a cutey.

I'm looking forward to this family camping trip! [It won't be REAL camping, if you are one of those who seems to think camping has to include tents, firepits, and kum-ba-yah. Actually, I am one of those. But we're staying in my grandpa's beach house. Call us high-class.]

Happy 4th of July weekend to you all!

A worthy budget incentive

I know I must keep a budget.

I try to keep a budget.

The last couple of months, though, I have spent "free" money too early in the month, rendering myself helpless by the end of the month for that unexpected car break-down, or the day[s] when I forgot my lunch and had to run to Safeway for Chinese. And I'm left thinking - gosh! If only I hadn't bought that coffee. If only I had asked God before spending those $5.

SO, I'm turning to an incentive. [Call it a bribe if you must.]

This month [July], if I have managed to save at least $10 in the "unplanned expenses" category by July 30th, I will buy this CD:

Music is my weakness. Especially music that I know I can hear God in and worship with. So this is some major incentive.

I'll let you know how well I steward my finances in July. If you think of it, pray. :)

Just a question

Why is it mostly women who blog?

The inspiration in Inception

I had heard of this movie from several different people, so I wanted to watch it.

When my sister came home from watching it with a lopsided expression on her face, I should have known better. Generally, we have very similar tastes in movies.

But, last night, I watched it anyway.

I think I have the lopsided expression on my face right now.

It's not that I didn't like the movie. It was certainly entertaining, suspenseful, puzzling, and satisfying.

But - hmm... what to say?

I was left wondering, was this worth my time?

And I never like ending a movie with that question.

So I question you. If you've seen it, was it worth your time?

Beautiful!

This morning, Ivory was fixing up in the bathroom, and Oliver was looking for her.

"Ar-vreee! Ar-vreee!" he called. "Oh!" he said, when he saw her. "You look BEAUTIFUL!"

Ivory laughed. "You do, too!"

"NOOO! I'm not beautiful!" Oliver protested. "I'm just handsome."

Haha! That's the spirit!

Pearl in the Sand: Check!

Author: Tessa Afshar

Recommended Audience: Women over 20 (some intimate scenes with her husband, but nothing graphic)

Brief Synopsis: At just 15 years old, Rahab is sold into prostitution by her father, the man she loves most. Years later, she hears of the Israelites and of their God, who brings both judgment and mercy. She longs for this God and, when she spots two Hebrews come to spy on Jericho, she takes her opportunity to learn more about this God and to secure her safety when the Israelites destroy Jericho. Rahab goes on to join the Israelites out of both her need and her hunger for their Lord. She also marries Salmone, a leader of the tribe of Judah.

But how can one who was a prostitute cope with marriage to a single man?

When she has trained her heart to be cold, how can she accept both her husband's and God's love?

When she has been trampled on, as a pearl in the sand beneatch careless heels, is there anything left of her to love?

My Review: Wow. More than anything, this is a story of relationships. I've been inspired to fight for my relationships, even to the point of annoying or irritating the person I love, so all sin is exposed and all isues are resolved.

It's also a story of miracles. God proves Himself faithful to both the large Israelite nation at large and the lone individual's heart. I have been inspired to see God in everything, even in an unanswered prayer. He is forever working miracles.

And then there's the Hebrew wedding. It SO reflects Christ and the church. To give you an idea, there is a scene where Salmone meets with Rahab's parents to ask for permission to marry her and to agree on the bridal price. As he leaves, he tells Rahab [and this will not be verbatim]: "I go to prepare a place for you. I will return for you." Sound familiar?

In a way, I think that every woman is Rahab, so, more than anything, this story is a journey for each of us to take with the Lord, taking Rahab's revelations as our own and believing God's words to her to be for us.

If you get the chance and your local library carries it, I would definitely recommend this book for all us ladies.

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."

Psalm 103:10

"...as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."

Isaiah 62:5

Mission Accomplished

Buy yours now - only $10!

Recetas
del

Corazon

- A bilingual cookbook -

Our youth group TODAY finished a project that has spanned several months now: a church cookbook! AH! It's finished!

And, just to celebrate, I made one of the recipes for dinner tonight: sopes!

I didn't snap a photo, so a google image will have to do:

Next week: Albondigas, my favorite!

Thinning

One of Oliver's many funnies happened today.

"Where are you going?" he asked my dad.

"I'm going to work."

"What are you doing in the work?"

"We're thinning the fruit."

Now, my dad has a wonderful Mexican accent, so then Oliver asks:

"What's teening?"

HAHAHA! My mom and I got a good laugh out of that one.

The gardening begins

We abandoned the former gardening site in favor of creating a NEW one, designed by muah!

So my dad gave me some options, and I decided on the peanut style:

My mom and I will begin planting the flowers tomorrow! (God help me!)

Hold Me

The Gilleys can testify that I've been humming this song the last day or so, ever since it came on the radio in the nick of time, in the middle of an emotional day.

Enjoy Jamie Grace's "Hold Me."

Goodbyes

Yesterday, I said goodbye to the 7th and 8th grade students I have been tutoring. I wrote notes that I pray were meaningful to them, and I pray that, more than anything,  my example planted a seed in their hearts of love for the Father who loves them.

What I didn't expect at all was to receive cards from them!

AH, I love this job!

3rd quarter: Check!

It was the night of Wednesday, June 8th, and it was done. All done.

The girl - let's just say she didn't look herself. Paint-splatted jeans. Unmatching jacket and shirt. Sneakers -- sneakers in June.

But she was happy, because she was done. All done.

(Teehee - school vacations get me in a weird mood.)

Photo tour of Sunday, June 5th

I've been wanting to do this for some time now -- a photo tour of my day!

And since my generous parents gifted me a digital camera for my birthday, now I can. :)

Sorry if this is a bit uninteresting. I just had to do it. I hope you understand.

While reading in John 12, I noticed that the person anointing Jesus' feet with oil was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. I had always thought that was Mary Magdalene, then I started getting all the Marys mixed up.

Enter Student Bible Dictionary:

I did some research, and I discovered that it was indeed Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who anointed Jesus' feet in Bethany, although the book of John is the only one to mention her name, and two of the gospel books say she anointed Jesus' head, while the other two say she anointed his feet. I'm guessing she did both.

I was so moved in reading this passage. May I be like this Mary, unashamedly pouring my love on my Savior!

Then, it was time to switch gears and do some homework:

the grand Tutor Notebook, due tomorrow: 

Then, it was off to church, and a skirmish with Oliver in the church office before pre-service prayer:

Worship and announcements led into a message from our pastor about getting a burden for our homeland -- Mexico, in this case.

{Sidenote: One of the songs we worshiped to was "Perfume a Tus Pies," which translates into "Perfume at Your Feet!" After John 12 this morning, I know this was NOT coincidence!}

After a pitiful sales day for the youth group's popsicle sales, we celebrated in the church basement with these three precious people:

 Grace (middle) just graduated from high school. The gentleman and lady on either side of her recently graduated from the church's school of biblical studies.

The celebration consisted of cake {above}, food, {below}...

 ...and fellowship!

Then, it was off to the homestead, with a quick detour to MacDonalds for a 99-cent large Sweet Tea:

Home at last.

After some munching and an EXCITING but DISAPPOINTING game between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, I've come full-circle.

Hasta luego, mis amigos :)

{How did I do?}

The life of an aspiring gardener

For over a year now, I have been desirous to learn how to garden.

If you know my family, you may be thinking, "What? Isn't your house the one with the HUGE garden? You don't know how to plant a flower and make it grow?"

And I must be honest and answer....no. I don't. My mom spends hours upon hours in her garden -- planting, weeding, picking off dried buds -- and my dad spends less time but just as much effort in his vegetable garden -- hoeing, planting, watering, picking. As a little girl, though, it was very nearly PUNISHMENT to be made to plant onions, or pull weeds, or pick raspberries, or turn off the sprinklers (I didn't want to get wet!).

But now I'm thinking ahead -- to the days when I will tend my own home. You can imagine that, when I picture this home, it is NOT a barren lot of dirt. It has flowers! And peach trees! And blueberries! And... a paid gardener? Umm, I don't think so. So it's time to start learning.

Beginning next week, I will start my garden, in this location that my mom has already begun clearing for me:

Well, I should say that she's begun clearing it of weeds. There are still some large "weeds" to be taken care of. We'll enlist my dad's help for those. The gardening area is the dirt mound beneath the trees, just behind the trailer and whatnot.

I have no idea how I'll begin, but I'm confident in my mom's ability to teach me.

It'll be an adventure!

sand sea pearl: worth the watch...conviction is key

sand sea pearl: worth the watch...conviction is key

Follow the link above to watch a video posted by sand sea pearl.
It's a 7 1/2-minute video of a woman sharing a poem she wrote. The poem is called something like "Worth the Wait." It is definitely worth the watch!

One line that stuck out to me you'll find toward the end, about being "drenched in Proverbs 31."

Hands-on learning at Rocky Reach dam!

Rocky Reach dam near Wenatchee, WA. I was there for 2 1/2 hours this morning, with fourth grade students from two Wenatchee schools. We hopped from station to station, learning about turbines, calculating the approximate number of fish in a tank, drawing a Chinook salmon using black construction paper and chalk, and discovering the power of water using the scientific process.  Yay for hands-on learning! Notice the flower flag in the foreground! All rights reserved by sea_eddie.

Here's a fuller view of the flower flag. I love this! Some rights reserved by Curtis Cronn.

Encouragement works

The other day, a friend said to me, "The older I get, the more I realize that nobody really cares about me except me!"

And I see what she means. How can anyone care about me when they're busy caring about themselves?

That's when the same friend expressed why she so LOVES to encourage people. In doing so, she becomes an embodiment of God's care for them. It's like He's saying, "I see you!" "I notice you!" "I care for you!"

Like the flowers in the photograph. Ivory was gone for my birthday, but she thought of me while she was gone, and picked me a wildflower bouquet. AH! She thought of me! She wanted to show me that, in that moment that she picked the flowers, she cared that she wasn't around for my birthday.

And the phonecall serenade from the Gilleys!

And the cake and card from my university classmates!

And the Mocha Coconut Frappuccino from my mom!

And the text I JUST got from someone!

There is power in encouragement, and I hope that's an encouragement. :)

Now at participating Safeways

$2.00 Grande Frappuccinos!
Limited time only

My mom treated me to a Mocha Coconut frappuccino today, for my birthday :)

Thanks, Mom.

The Gilleys suprised me with an over-the-phone birthday serenade!

Thanks, guys!

I am blessed. I can never say that I'm not!

Currently listening to:

I must say that this is my favorite version of the song. It just came up on my Pandora playlist, and I had to stop what I was doing and just listen. I was struck again with how GOOD God is.

This song -- for nearly four years now God has ministered to me through it --

First, Kim Walker's, in a sanctuary, surrounding by 23 other hearts bursting with gratitude to our God...and Shane Stevie's word to us about God's unrelenting love.

Then, in a hotel room. My macbook crashed. I fell asleep in tears and woke up to the voices of my classmates, singing this song around the bed, their faces lit by candles. I don't know that I have ever felt more honored than in that moment.

Then, in Spanish at a youth conference in Walla Walla.

Then, John Mark McMillan's, from my brother's iPhone.

Then, David Crowder's, from Rebekah's laptop.

And still I hear the song, and my heart swells with gratitude:

How He loves!

Drum roll please...

As of this morning, I have been awarded:

$667 from the Marit Thomas Rhodes Scholarship

$1,000 from the Ferne Daniel Scholarship

Woot! I am so grateful!

Anxiously awaiting results...

Mock-interview: check!

My classmate Joanne and I arrived home exhausted but oh SO relieved! The interview was not nearly as grueling as we had anticipated.

We find out tomorrow morning who is awarded the education scholarships...May the best student win!

Meet the winner of Macy's Million Dollar Makeover!

Click on the photo to link to the Macy's Million Dollar Makeover finale!

America Names Amy Ferrell of Wenatchee, Washington Winner of “Macy’s Million Dollar Makeover with Clinton Kelly”

Read the article here.

Adventure to Ellensburg

I have spent the night perfecting my teaching resume.

Tomorrow, my classmate Joanne and I will take our nearly perfect resumes to E-burg for a mock-interview. Three panelists will scrutinize these resumes and grill us with questions like, "What is your philosophy of education?" or "If I walked into your classroom during a reading lesson, what would I see?" Then, they will deem us worthy...or not... of one of the three scholarships available to us.

You must understand, we're both ridiculously nervous! And overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunity! God has set us up for an adventure. Bring it on!

Esperanza Rising: Check!

I recently read this book in both English and Spanish. Here are my thoughts:

What's it about?

It's 1924. A wealthy, young girl lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on her father's vineyard. When her father unexpectedly dies, however, she and her mom are left without property, without a home, and - for Esperanza, worst of all, - without servants!

Esperanza and her mother travel, together with those who once were their servants, to the United States in hopes of making a better life by working in a migrant camp in California. Now in a foreign land and stripped of her wealth and power, Esperanza must learn to work for the first time in her life, and to associate with those who she once considered beneath her.

Through all of this, Esperanza learns to hope.

Aguantate tantito, y la fruta caera en tu mano.
Wait just a little while, and the fruit will fall into your hand.

What did I think of it?

This book is particularly strong in symbolism! For this reason, the book could be used even at a high school level, which is when students begin examining symbols.

I also like that this book’s historical accuracy. The story is based on the true story of the author's grandmother and so very accurately portrays the people of that time and the time they lived in. The author takes care to showcase not just Mexican culture, but, within that, the culture pertaining to those from Aguascalientes – their superstitions, food, traditions, and way of life. 

Author Pam Munoz Ryan

And I loved the dynamic character of Esperanza. She starts out selfish and is chastised for her selfishness, but then gains both generosity and wisdom as the story progresses. In this way, the reader can also learn from Esperanza’s mistakes and connect to her as a flawed individual.

The downside: the cover is pretty girly-looking. If I will be reading this to an entire class, I want both the boys and girls to enjoy it.

I would also include more thorough explanations of the historical situation the characters were in. In her afterward, the author mentions the Mexican Repatriation, but, as a reader that had never heard of this event before, I left the book confused about it. 

And when I closed the book cover, I was left with unanswered questions. Did Esperanza and Miguel’s families truly find a better life in the United States? Did Esperanza ever see her best friend again? Did she visit her former home in Aguascalientes? I would recommend a sequel to the book so that these unanswered questions could be answered.

Suggestions for Classroom Use

Approximate grade level: 4th through 9th
Themes: Starting over, hope, and new life
Suggested content area: Social studies: immigration
Academic activities:

• Tweeting and acting: Students will tweet their favorite scene from the book (write it in 110 characters or less). Then, students will walk around the room silently and group with those who described the same favorite scene. Students will then be allotted 10 minutes to prepare a reenactment of their favorite scene in their groups, after which the teacher narrates a re-telling of the story, inserting student reenactments at appropriate spots.

• Compare/contrast Mexican immigrants then and now: Students will work in groups with large chart paper. They will draw a Venn diagram on the chart paper and brainstorm similarities and differences between Mexican immigrants then and now. Ideally, at least one child from a family of Mexican immigrants will be in each group. Groups will share their findings with the class. Each group gets a point for every unique idea on their Venn diagram and adds new information to their diagram.

• Family investigation: Students will be assigned to interview one or several family members to understand their family’s immigration history. They will discover their family’s purpose for immigrating to the United States. Students will then share their findings with the class.

I'm full...

...and I think I know why.

Here's tonight's dinner:

Chicken stir fry with rice, two helpings of rice

and half of a corn on the cob

A fruit salad of pineapple, mango, nectarines, and strawberries (the image is just the closest I could find on google images)

and, of course, a glass or two of orange juice

THEN followed the post-dinner snacking. ENTER the unnecessaries:

Tomorrow, I'll have to take Frog and Toad's advice and exert some more willpower.
Some friendly advice:
Just say NO to post-dinner snacking!

You know you live in Central Washington if...

The other day, I stumbled upon a list entitled "You know you live in Eastern Washington if..."

I could relate to maybe half of the items on the list - which got me to thinking and looking at a map: Wenatchee is NOT eastern Washington! It's CENTRAL Washington.

Hence, the new list for Central Washingtonites.

You know you live in Central Washington if...

• There are night-crawlers in your refrigerator.
• You or someone you know (YOSYK) takes a week's vacation every year for hunting season.
• You are bothered with neither much rain nor much wind.
• You refer to any place on the other side of the mountains as "Seattle."
• You refer to many places in Eastern Washington as "Spokane."
• You can accurately pronounce almost any city name in Washington, because you're not far from any of them.
• Your dogs roam free, or can.
• There is an orchard nearby to dump your food waste in.
• You would never, EVER call an orchard a "farm."
• It usually takes the same amount of time to get from point A to point B, not matter what the time of day (in other words, traffic isn't an issue).
• You are sad because the last drive-in teater in the area closed down.
• You've taken a class field trip to a dam or fish hatchery, or both.
• You gift Aplets and Cotlets to your out-of-town guests.
• Sons of orchardists and sons of orchard workers go to school together, where the population is about half Caucasian, half Hispanic, no Asians, and maybe one or two African-Americans.
• YOSYK works "cherries" every summer.
• Forest fires outnumber house fires in the summer.
• The obvious, easiest, DUH university to go to is.....you guessed it! Central Washington University!
• Among your friends and colleagues, there are about equal parts UW and WSU fans.

Note: these are overgeneralizations based on my experience, some of the likely false.

Have any to add?

Macys to announce contest winner May 24

Follow this link to read about a Wenatchee kindergarten teacher who is in the top 2 (!!!) to win Macy's million-dollar makeover! Amy Ferrell, all of the Wenatchee valley is behind you!

Note to sound guy: cue for "Oh Happiness!"

17 May 2011

To the donors to the Washington Apple Education Foundation:

I am so surprised and grateful for the Keyes Fibre $2000 scholarship I have been awarded!

I am in a teaching program, aspiring to graduate in June of 2012 with my B.A. in Elementary Education.

I have had a goal throughout college to graduate debt-free! And this is becoming a reality! Last summer, I sorted cherries, saving all my earnings. That, combined with continual earnings from my job as a tutor in middle schools and help from my parents, has paid for my first year at the university. No loans! No grants! No scholarships! But this summer, I am scheduled for summer courses. Because of that, I knew I would not be able to earn enough this summer to cover my final year at the university. But I was not too worried; I knew God would provide for the door He has opened.

This morning, I received the unexpected letter from WAEF, informing me that I have been selected to receive a $2000 scholarship! This is God’s provision. The scholarship will pay for my entire fall quarter tuition!

Thank you for helping make my goal of graduating debt-free a reality.

Look for me among the elementary-school teachers of the Wenatchee valley!

Gratefully,

Dahlia