These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph...Up and help us; lay your shoulder to the wheel; the heart that feels not now, is dead.
I took the ELL WEST-E (you know - the 110 questions thing), and came home with a major headache. Feels like the beginning of a head cold. So, I have been asleep for the last 3 hours. :) I feel much better after that, but still with the stuffy head.
In between the test and the nap, I gained a brother: Oliver Robert Guy Avila, and, in doing so, welcomed a turning point in both his life and mine. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Come to think of it, I always wanted a little brother. :)
Rebekah asked me to post when I was to take the second (and third) portions of "the teacher test," called the WEST-E.
Tomorrow, I'll carpool with friends Joanne and Debby to take the English Language Learners portion of the WEST-E test. 8 AM. 110 questions. Something like $130. Ouch! Haha. Pray if you will.
I'm finding that it's actually the culminating party of lots of other parties!
I'm referring, of course, to my sister Ivory's wedding to Jared.
First, there was the engagement party on our side of the mountains. The following picture might look familiar.
Then, there was the engagement party on Jared's side of the mountains. I don't have any photos from that one.
Then, there was Ivory's bridal shower, hosted at Lynn's home, by Marika and myself.
As you can see, Marika and Lynn did an exquisite job with the decorations.
We also played a game of mad lib.
If you don't know what mad lib is, it's basically a story with lots of the words blanked out.
[In this case, it was the story of how Jared proposed to Ivory.]
The attendees were split into teams, and each team created their own list of words to fill the blanks in.
Here is Stephanie and Denica's team at work:
Afterward, the teams all shared their stories out loud. Each one was hilarious!
Here's Darci reading her team's story, just to give you a taste:
Then, Ivory had to answer some crazy questions about Jared -- and pop in a Bubblicious every time she got one wrong!
That was not Ivory's favorite game.
In the end, I think fun was had by all.
That said, we're planning for yet another bridal shower [Mexican style] this Saturday!
[With all this planning, I am becoming very familiar with my laptop's "Sticky Notes" application.]
[Marika will notice that I'm following the same order for this bridal shower as we did for the last one. Hehe.]
And, of course, there are more parties to come: a bachelorette party, a church farewell to Ivory, and a personal shower, if not more.
In all of this, I am awed by two things:
1. The incredible support system that surrounds a bride [I can't even name all the people who have offered their help to Jared and Ivory, from hosting parties to finding flowers], and
2. The huge CHANGE that marriage brings about. It's like all of the festivities indicate that marriage is a momentous occasion, unlike any other occasion we may experience [although births and deaths come close.]
Thanks to everyone who has blessed our family during these wedding preparations. Not only Jared and Ivory, but our entire families feel the effects of your generosity.
I'm teaching an after-school magazine class at a local middle school, and we have finished our first issue today! It won't be distributed to the other students, however, until probably Tuesday of next week.
Just letting you know, readers, that I am still alive. :)
It's just -- you know -- homework and stuff. [When there's not homework stuff, there's wedding stuff. When there's not wedding stuff, there's church stuff. When there's not church stuff, there's family stuff... hehe. And all of it is really good stuff, maybe more good than this blog. Sorry.]
It's been two weeks since I said goodbye the class of students that stirred up in me a passion to teach!
That was my pre-autumn teaching practicum, also called a September experience. If you missed my reflections on it, they're down, below this post, under my August and September entries.
Since pre-autumn, nothing has been the same.
Sound corny?
Well, it's true. It's like FINALLY! Now I have an incentive to LEARN in college! -- not that I didn't before, but -- do you know what I mean? Now, when I'm studying about how to accommodate a student who doesn't speak English, I see a 9-year-old-boy's face, and I have something [or, rather, someone] to apply my learning to.
So, needless to say, I still think about these students a lot, and their teacher, who I have referred to as Mr. P.
This brings me to the reason for this post.
Two days ago, my brother [also a teacher], without a word, handed me this:
I recognized it as a "PONY" envelope, or a manila envelope used to deliver things from one department to another within the school districts.
It wasn't until I saw the name on the front that I knew it was for me. It was sent to Mr. Avila, from Mr. P.
I peeked inside...
...and squealed with delight!
No WAY!
Here's some of what was inside the envelope:
Yay! Haha. That made my day. I was beginning to wonder if they even noticed my absence, and to plan my next visit, to keep investing in them.
I say teach me. She blooms in the sun's glare, the snow's silence the driest sand.
Le digo, ensename. Y florece en el brillo del sol, en el silencio de la nieve, en las arenas mas secas.
I read this page and teared up. It's amazingly similar to a verse in Isaiah that has become one of my life verses.
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the rose, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
Isaiah 35:1-2
What a picture of beauty -- a desert flower. And the best thing is that it's not at all just a poetic idea; rather, it's a very real treasure God gives us, and, as such, a picture of His character and His way. Darkness is as light to Him. Barrenness is as bounty. Desert is as blossom.
It's like electronics have become our baby blankets.
Everybody has his own private world of conversations and amusements tucked into his pocket and accessible to him whenever he begins to sense an uncomfortable situation.
It makes me think of that Snickers [is it Snickers?] commercial -- need a moment? Grab your cell phone.
And it's sad.
In a beautiful world where sun shines and rain falls, where people need people, potential friends walk past each other without so much as an acknowledgement of the other's presence, both fidgeting with their modern-day baby blankets.
Our generation has become a socially maimed one.
There is so much to see -- the silhouette of the dark mountains against the heavens clear and far-reaching.
Oliver [aka my favorite 5-year-old, the little "tremendo" (troublemaker), and my second-cousin] was absent from the house for awhile when he and Mom got home today.
I soon found out why. And almost wished I hadn't.
As Oliver flung open the front door, a long tree limb preceeded him. He was holding it in front of him, and it arched up before pointing down.
"Guys, guys!" he says. "I went far, FAR away, and I got my POOP stick!" Then, he started telling us all about how he uses the stick to help him find poop on the ground. YUCK! Meanwhile, he's flinging this feces-contaminated tree limb all over.
When he pointed to one end of the stick and told Dad, "See! That's poop!", indicating a little brown thing dangling from the end, it was all I could do not to yelp or shrink away from him. But I did control myself, because, if I didn't that, then he would probably take pleasure in grossing me out even more with his poop stick, if you know what I mean.
Thankfully, eventually his attention was diverted by a ping-pong paddle and ball, and the poop stick went back outside.
Haha! As much as it grossed me out, I thought it made for a funny story.
Yesterday said hello to fall quarter once more, my last fall quarter ever! And, though I had an aching head and a couple of near-coughing attacks [that was when I gladly took a break from class and ran to re-fill my water bottle], it was fun to be back with my classmates. And it was great to meet some new [albeit quirky] professors.
This is most of the cohort, minus a few absentees.
One of my goals is to get an updated class photo this quarter, with EVERYBODY in it.
I was sick today, with not much to do at home. I think I checked my email nearly 100 times and thought about blogging nearly as many times --- but, what's there to blog about when you're lazy and grumpy?
So I made lunch and then read.
And I ran an errand for my dad, and then read.
And I helped Oliver with his homework [reading], and was so tired of reading by then that I tried to take a nap. [Have you ever tried taking a nap with a five-year-old on the loose?]
Finally, at around 7:00 PM, when I realized a nap was not going to happen and how yucky and lazy I was being, I decided that, sore throat or no, headache or no, groggy or no, I needed to be a willing help to my parents.
So, after my Daniel fast dinner:
I helped my parents can some jalapenos.
I wish I could have helped more, but I'm truly a novice at this, so mostly I just watched, took pictures, and followed occasional orders from my dad.
And, you know what? After helping my parents, my headache has lessened, my throat is less sore, and I am less groggy.
So it seems today has been another lesson in relationships. God has created us to be revived when we fellowship with, or work alongside other people, and NOT when we seek to further our own selfish interests.
...and emptied the contents of it in front of Mr. P's 4th grade class!
I set up the scenario that I was going to the movies tonight, and that I didn't want to take my purse with me, to avoid leaving it behind by accident. SO, I wanted them to help me determine what was most important for me to take to the movies with me.
It actually went so much smoother than my last lesson, which, as you may remember, kind of flopped. Part of the reason was probably because I had a notes up there with me, per Mr. P's advice.
I did need to reference the notes [very stealthily, while I had students sharing their ideas with each other], and that way I was able to stay on track. I am much more encouraged after this lesson that, indeed, teaching is for me. I just need lots more practice.
Tomorrow, Mr. P. will be gone all day, for a meeting. It will be Mr. M [a substitute] and me. I'm excited to be able to help Mr. M. familiarize himself with the class and the way we do things.
Goodbye, Tuesday. Hello, Wednesday!
[The week's halfway through, guys! -- good or bad, depending on your perspective.]
