Jan Brett

I had such a great night tonight!! I drove down to Pasadena to see Jan Brett. She is an amazing children's author and illustrator. It was really cool. She gave a demonstration of how to draw one of the polar bears from her new book and talked about how she started writing the book. I was totally inspired. I really want to write a children's book and get it published. Someday.

Jan Brett was so nice. She talked to everyone who came to see her. She had great conversations with the kids and I was able to talk to her for a little bit.

Here are some pictures from the event. :o)

(Yes I've been having fun with the photo grids :o)

"California is Burning"

"California is Burning" ... gee that sounds so wonderful. This was the title of the news tonight. Thankfully the part that is burning is not in my neighborhood anymore. I only had to evacuate for one night. It is really nice to be back in my own bed. Everytime I watch the news I am just amazed at how many fires are going on at one time. This is insane!! It just gives me another reason as to why I like Northern California. There aren't nearly as many fires up there. :o)





















Here are some pictures I've taken in the last couple of days. The smoke pictures are from Sunday as my dad and I were driving back to the house after church in the afternoon. It was so crazy. It really made me think of cartoons when the evil comes over the land and the hero needs to come in and save the day. It was this HUGE black cloud. Well you can see in the pictures. :o) The others were from today. As I was leaving school there is this big field and the helicopters were landing there to fill up with water to drop on the fires. Also, as I was driving home tonight I saw 6 fire engines in a row heading out to where the fire had been near my house. 6 engines in a row is a common sight down here right now.



So crazy!!

Fires

Due to the multiple fires in the So Cal area last night I had to evacuate from the house I have been living in. I'm still not sure how close the fire got, or if the fire is still moving. But this was a very new and frightening experience for me. Thankfully my dad has been here for the weekend. That was a huge blessing. So last night we stayed at a hotel.

Please pray for:

• the firefighters - there are several fires around So Cal right now (or as of last night)
• the family I live with - they don't know what is going on with thier house
• all the people affected by these fires - as of last night 25 homes and structures had been burned down and 500-800 people had been evacuated.

Pumpkin Patch

Tonight I went to the pumpkin patch here in Santa Clarita. It was so much fun! I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in years. Michelle and I decided that we wanted to decorate pumpkins so we had to go get pumpkins. We headed out to the pumpkin patch with her family. My roommate Lindsay came as well.

I think the pumpkin patch is 10 times better with a little kid along. :o) He was so cute! He ran around the pumpkins and got to see all the different animals they had there. We went and looked at the sheep and goats and he just waved at them. It was too cute.

I promise that we were getting pumpkins. But I think someone was a little confused when they were labeling the crate.

We made Jack and Ryan take a lot of pictures.

Lindsay and I decided that Fiyero in Wicked looks a little better looking than this one.

Ryan, Michelle and Jack have pretty much become family to me. It is so nice to have a family to be around. On Fridays, Michelle and I get together and then I just hang out with the family. It is such a great change from doing homework all week. Ryan leads the Bible study and Michelle disciples me. They are an amazing couple. I am so thankful for them!

You know you live near L.A. when...

You go out to check the mail and find a paper warning you that tomorrow you may hear explosions due to the filming of "The Unit" on a near by street.

True story :o)

An angry 6th grader

I just wanted to ask for prayer for a certain 6th grade boy.

I have been working in a 6th grade class for the past several weeks. Last week there was one boy who just started showing a lot of anger. He would write things about hating school and how terrible his life is. I was just so sad for him. This week I came to find out that his parents are going through a divorce. This explains why he is so angry. It is terrible for kids to have to go through this kind of thing.

Today I was wondering around the classroom checking on student's work. I came to him and he only had a few words written for his poem. I had asked the class to write a Cinquain about a family member. For most students this is a simple task. But for this boy it was very difficult. I read what he had on his paper and wanted to cry for him. His poem was about his mom and it consisted of words about her being evil and terrible and other things I cannot remember at the moment. I didn't really know what to say to him, and in a public school I cannot say what I would normally say to someone who is hurting so badly. This is why I am asking for you all to pray for him. He really needs the love of Jesus in his life as well as the love of his family. According to him everyone in his family is terrible.

Please pray for him.

The strangest things happen to me :o/

So I have some friends that think there should be a sitcom made up of some of the oh so interesting things that happen to me. This one is a doozy.

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First of all, once again my car has been causing me troubles. This time it was in the shop for almost 3 (yes I meant to type 3) weeks. It was kind of a nightmare, but I was learning more about trusting the Lord. So I FINALLY get my car back and it technically isn't fixed, but I got it back anyway. (That could be a whole other blog) I was totally excited to have my car back. I got inside and looked around a little bit just happy to sit there for a second. As I was looking around I saw a ziplock bag on the floor. If my memory serves me right, and I'm pretty sure it does, this particular bag once contained goldfish. I had been forgetting to through it away for weeks. (Yes I can be a slob at times) But when I saw the bag this time in my car it was empty. I thought that was kind of funny and I picked it up to get a better look at it. There was definately a hole chewed in it. And it was flithy. I was completely grosed out!! Upon further scrutiny I found several presents of a different sort (note the pictures below). Whatever had been living in my car the weeks I was away from it was kind enough to make his/her presence known.

My dad...oh my dad...was kind enough to say to me when I told him, "I hope it doesn't climb up your pant-leg while you are driving. Oh dad! That was while I was driving too! I was doing just fine until he said that! I have come to the conclusion that the rodent is no longer living in my car. I got it cleaned out so I will surely know if it is still there upon seeing more of the lovely presents on the floor.

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And that is why my friends think parts of my life would make a great sitcom. I'm not sure how I feel about that still.

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Please turn your eyes if you cannot handle such graphic pictures.

CSET

A month ago I took the dreaded CSET (California subject examination for teachers). I have been waiting for the results and I finally got them today. And I passed ALL three tests!! I am so excited!! What a relief. For those of you who don't know about the CSET it is an insane test. Well actually it is three tests. 1 - English and History; 2 - Math and Science; 3 - Music, Art, Child Development and PE. It took my 5 hours to take the test. And I have to pass all three tests in order to student teach in the Spring. Honestly I was expecting to have to retake at least one of the test. Praise the Lord I don't have to!! God is so good.

God is good

I wrote this a while ago, but I wanted to share it.


It is so great to see the Lord's work. Sometimes the hard times make it difficult to see the Lord's hand, but I am always reminded in some way. For instance, the other day a coworker of mine had to take her car in to be fixed. She does not have the money to pay a big bill on her car so she was praying that the bill wouldn't be too huge. In the end it cost $18 to fix her car. She was shocked and found out that amount included the payment for the labor. She went on to ask how much it would cost to get a tune-up for her car and the mechanic said they checked for that also and the car didn't need one. Wow! What a huge blessing from the Lord.
My co-workers and I were talking about this situation and one of them said that it is great to be around believers who encourage others by telling these kinds of situations. We serve such an awesome God. This great God has a plan for everything. This is something we have been talking about in the class I teach at work. (A class of 5 & 6 year-olds) We have been reading through a book called The Lamb. It has been such a great reminder of how God has a plan and we need to trust Him and not simply ourselves.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Yet another wedding

Well yesterday was Mary and Ryan Rotman's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding and I am so happy for the both of them. I am also very excited that they will be living in Santa Rosa. It will be great to be able to see them when I am home from school. Mary looked so beautiful and I had the privilege of doing Mary's hair for the ceremony. It was a little nerve racking, but it turned out pretty well.

I was also able to see my best friend, Kelley. It was so good to see her and her husband, Jevon. I hadn't seen them since Christmas. It is so hard to live far away from my friends. Kelley is one of the only friends I actually keep in contact with from high school. I am so glad I have her. The Lord has really blessed me with some amazing friends.

Chorale tour

I just got back from 2 weeks of Chorale tour. It was incredible. We flew to Indiana and took a bus from Indiana to Kentucky, back to Indiana, then to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and ending in New York City. I just thought i would share some highlights of the trip.



We visited Southern Baptist Seminary.
After they gave us a tour Al Moeler and talked to us.
It was really neat that he took time out of his
busy day to let us ask him questions.




On my birthday my friends put a sign
and streamers next to my seat. :o)

Yes we went to the Indianapolis Moter Speedway. There were several cars practicing. It was extremly loud. I don't understand how people can sit in the stands and be able to hear when there are more cars going around the track.

This church in Indiana was built to look like a
church that Thomas Kincaide painted. It was a beautiful church.



One of the families we stayed with at a trophie room. :o/
I almost ran into one of the deer while i was taking a picture.
I was a little freaked out.




In Pensylvania we sang in McKeesport.
That is where the King family live.
It was so great to see them. It had been four years.
I loved spending time with them and it was really hard to leave.






New York City!!





One morning in New York some friends and I got breakfast
and ate in Central Park. It was really pretty.


My friends and I went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.
It was so much fun!!


These are just a few things that happened. I was able to stay with some really great believers. It was neat to hear about how the Lord has worked in thier lives. I hope that I was as great of an encouragement to them as they were to me. It was great to be able to serve the Lord for those two weeks.



The Grand Finale was singing at Carnegie Hall. It was such a great experience. We got two standing ovations. It was so incredible.

Graduation

College grad

Tonight I graduate from The Master's College!!

And tomorrow I leave for Choir Tour. YAY!!

I forget

Oh the joy of singing in a different language. Most people won't understand if you mix up the words. I have done that several times. It comes in handy, unless there is by chance a person who knows Italian or French. Then you are in trouble.

(Disneyland pictures and stories to come soon)

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal, and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

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Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

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This is a familiar song to me, but one I had not heard in a long time. Sunday I went to church with my roommate and her family and this song was sung by the children's choir. It hit me while I was listening, how true these words are. Because He lives I don't need to worry about anything. The Lord gives me so much more than I deserve. This weekend was a hard one, but through so many things, like this song from church, I was able to remember how much the Lord loves me and is taking care of me. I am so thankful that God lives so that I can face tomorrow, have no fear and have hope. Thank you Lord!

I'm gonna be a teacher!

I just found out that I made it into the Credential Program here at Masters! I am so excited! I wasn't feeling very confident about how my interview went yesterday, but the feedback I received today was very good. I am so thankful. God is so good. He has been teaching me so much about trusting Him with everything. It is hard, but I am learning. I am excited to start the program in the fall and student teach next spring. I know that it will be a challenging year, but I am getting really close to being able to do what I have wanted to do for most of my life...teach!

Spring Break

I only have a few days of spring break left. This is what I have been doing.

Yes I've gone to the beach a few times now. And for once I'm not completely burned. YAY!! I was using spf 50 though. :o) I am such a delicate person. That picture is Santa Monica from Monday and Wednesday I went to Malibu. It was so nice to relax and listen to the waves. It is so different in NorCal. For one thing you can't wear shorts at the beaches there. Big difference.

spring break is almost here

well, there has been a change of plans. I'm not going home for spring break. I disappointed that I won't be able to see my family, but I think i will get more rest if I stay here. I have been so tired lately and need the time (without 2 days of driving) to relax and get ahead in some of my classes. So thats the plan. I have some friends who are going to be around so I won't be alone or anything. I'm just really excited to not have classes for a week and get some much needed sleep. :o)

I'm seeing Green!

So here is the highlight of my semester!!!

Thursday night I went to Hollywood with my friends and we saw "Wicked"!!! It was so incredibly amazing! I have had the CD for several months now and listen to it all the time. So I knew all of the songs. It was such a fun musical. There were funny, happy and sad parts (not all at the same time of course). If you ever get the chance to see it DO IT!!

If you don't know, it is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch before Dorthy lands in Oz. It is fun to see how they turn out the way they do. I LOVED IT!!!

Here are some pictures from the evening.

All dressed up for Hollywood!

No one actually bought the program, we just got to take a picture with one :o)

they cost $20!!! outrageous!!

My friend, Stacy, bought me a ticket for Valentine's Day. So sweet! We all wanted to go together and I couldn't afford it. Master's bought a block of 100 tickets so they only cost TMC students $35. What a deal!!

It was such a nice break from homework! And I'm coming home for a few days next week!! I'm so excited for the break! The Lord knows I need it!

A List of "Withouts"

Without trials there can be no maturity.
Without clouds there can be no silver lining.
Without clouds there can be no appreciation of sunshine.
Without rain there can be no rainbow.
Without rain there can be no vegetation.
Without the stress of the storm we cannot realize the worth of an anchor.
Without darkness there can be no rest.
Without darkness we cannot see the stars.
Without night there can be no sunrise.
Without threshing we cannot use the wheat.
Without injury and irritation the oyster will not produce a pearl.
Without a hammer and chisel the stone cannot become a statue, a work of art, a masterpiece.
Without crushing the flowers there can be no perfume.
Without trials we cannot be like Jesus.

~ Elizabeth George

Drumroll please...

Here are the answers
1)The pencil was invented in 1550, and it was a type of a paint brush
2)The eraser was added in 1858 (before the eraser they used bread crumbs)
3)There 2.8 billion pencils made in a year
4)A pencil can write 35 miles (in one line) or 45,000 words


Random facts I know, but interesting
Thank you for playing

How much to you know about the pencil?

In class today I learned some interesting facts about the pencil and I thought it would be fun to see how much you know. :o) NO CHEATING!! Take your best guess and I'll give the answers in a few days (or when I need another break from homework)

1) when was the pencil invented?

2)when was the eraser added to the pencil?

3) about how many pencils are made in a year?

4) how long can the pencil write? (distance of one line or amount of words)

Please Pray!!

Well, today was the second day of classes and already I feel like I have WAY too much to do this semester. So I just wanted to ask for prayer if you think of me. This is my last semester at Masters. I'm really looking forward to being done, but there is a lot to do before I get there. I don't think I've ever taken as many units as I am taking this semester. I know that the Lord will give me strength to make it. Also pray that I can find some sort of job for the semester. Just so that I really don't have any time at all :o).

The Life of a Snowman

Well the Lord blessed us with a day of beautiful snow while we were in Wisconsin.

So of course we HAD to build a snowman.

Just the beginning

It's hard to tell, but there is something there.

TADA

But a few days later the snow was melting,

and our snowman was starting to look very sad.

His face fell off!

In the end our snowman had a very sad New Years celebration.

(I think I need to write a children's book about this snowman) :o)

Kind of a White Christmas

Here are some pictures from my family's trip to Wisconsin.

We were there for almost a week, but there was only one day that we had snow.

Just enough for building a snowman. It was fun!

We stayed at my mom's cousin's farm because Grandma's house was too full. Sharon (Mom's cousin) has a dairy farm and Julie and I got to feed a week old calf. It was fun! The house was really cute and my Grandma lived there at one time.

ok well I have more pictures to post, but the internet at home is not fast...at all. I'll have to go to the library and post the rest. We had such a fun time with all of our family in Wisconsin. Please be praying for my Grandpa. Yesterday he had surgery. In the past his surgery recoveries have not gone well. But PRAISE THE LORD this one has gone better. He went home today and seems to be doing well.

Home for Christmas

Well, I survived finals! Praise the Lord!!
It is so nice to be home for a while. I came home a day early and surprised my parents. I drove up to see my house completely decked out in lights. (if you haven't seen them yet you really should, my dad is incredible)

Finals Week!!!

Yes it is finally finals week! And I am already exasted!

I have pretty much decided that I will not be getting much sleep this week. I know that I am a procrastinator which is why I have so much work to do to finish up this semester. But I also had a week of Christmas concerts which really threw me off.

I'm praying that the Lord will give me an amazing amount of strength and that I won't end up getting sick. I'm also praying for a good attitude. I tend to get really grumpy and complainy (my own word) when I don't get enough sleep. But there are a few Starbucks nearby and I just got a gift card for there in the mail today!! Thanks College group back home!!

It will be so wonderful to go home at the end of this week. That will help me make it through!

Well, this was a well needed break, but I have to get back to the books! Have a good week!

Week of Craziness

Yes this is a week of craziness for me. Why you may ask? Because Christmas Concerts have started at TMC. Tonight we had our first performance and we have one Wed, Thurs, Fri, and two on Saturday! Phew! It is one crazy week. I am exhasted already, but it is a lot of fun too. If you think of it though please pray that I will get enough rest so I don't get sick by the end of the week.

As for last week...I had such a great time at home for Thanksgiving! I was in desperate need for a break and it was so wonderful. The homework didn't get done, but I was able to relax and spend time with my family and a few friends. Our house was packed for Thanksgiving dinner and, other than being called an old maid by a certain 6th grader, it was a great time. (Don't worry I'm not really upset, it was really funny)

Coming back to school was hard though. It was nice not to set an alarm. But really there isn't much left of the semester so I'll be home very soon.

(My amazing mom made these adorable centerpieces for the table. She can teach you if you want to learn how :o)

Well...time to get to the homework!!

Have you ever done something really strange when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night? I seem to often.
My first year at TMC my roommate stayed out late all the time. There were a few Saturdays that I had to work at 6am and I was always scared that I wouldn't wake up in time. One night Stacey came in around 1:30 and I sat straight up in bed all panicked and started to get dressed for work. She laughed at me and told me to go back to bed. She still brings that up every once in a while.
Last night I must have been sleeping really hard because when my roommate Ashley came in I thought there was a spider in my bed. She said I sat up really fast and was looking around in my blankets. I totally remember all of this, but I was really out of it. I think I dreamt that I saw a spider. Then after I laid down again I started hitting my blankets "just in case there really was a spider." Ashley and I had a good laugh about all of that this morning.
All this to say, you never know what will happen when I get woken up in the middle of the night.

If only I could get away with answers like these. :o)

My aunt just sent these to me. I read them to my roommate and we couldn't stop laughing. :o)
Have a great day!!!

Subject: Children’s science exam
Exam Answers.
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A,E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does "varicose" mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section"
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome.
Q: What does the word " benign" mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

randomness

I"B GOD A CODE

by Kenn Nesbitt
"I'b sick," I pout ad blow my doze.

"I'b misseeg all by favorite shows.

I hab to stay id bed, you see.

My mob wode led me watch T.B.

She breegs me chicked soup

ad says that I should try to get sub rest.

Bud I'b too bored ad icky feeleeg

tired of stareeg ad the ceileeg,

achy, cougheeg, stuffed up too.

Bud thaks for askeeg. How are you?"

Yeah I'm feeling like I'm getting a cold. Fortunately I don't sound quite like that poem yet. I'm drinking Emergen-C right now to try and get rid of it fast.

Today one of my profs told our class that it is 2 months away from Christmas Eve. AAHHH!! This was not what I wanted to hear. It really woke me up to all the work I have to get done for the semester. Immediately I felt overwhelmed. But I thought about it and gave it back to the Lord so I know it will all work out for His glory. But it is kinda exciting to think that Christmas is so close. I'm looking forward to being with my family and relaxing, and playing in snow (hopfully). This year we are spending Christmas in Wisconsin with my grandparents. I am really excited to see them. It has been a few years since I have been there and they won't come to California anymore. :o) So it will be nice to be with them and my grandma makes really good deserts.

I've been stalling to write about something. I wanted to think of a creative way to write about it, but I haven't had a whole lot of time and just couldn't think of anything. So here it is plain and simple. I got my first speeding ticket. :o( I was driving home a few weeks ago and talking to the girls who were in the car with me. I5 just wasn't very busy and I wasn't paying attention...until I saw the CHP car behind me. I looked down and saw that I was going very fast. I wanted to cry but I didn't. I almost wish I did. I really dreaded telling my parents and put it off till I got home. I cried and told them and they just said "ok". I don't know what I expected but they were fine with it and knew I learned my lesson. And I have learned my lesson!!

Well, there you have my random blog. Now I'm going to sleep and get rid of this cold.

Little boys Church

After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys, a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddle through her kitchen window. The older of the two, a five year old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole.
As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother runs to the yard in a panic. "Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?!" she asks as she shook the older boy in anger. "We were just playing 'church' mommy," he said. "And I was just baptizing him.....in the name of the Father, the Son and in...the hole-he-goes."

birthday cake adventure

So today is my friend Stacey's birthday. My roommate and I thought it would be fun to get her a little cake and take it to her house to surprise her. We had it all worked out, bought candles and matches and the cutest little pink cake. So we got to her front door and lit the candles. The only problem was that it took her quite a while to get to the front door. So there I am holding this little cake, and the candles are quickly melting. There was also a cute little curly ribbon on it that very soon melted in the growing flames. My roommate was ringing the doorbell and knocking and we were both laughing hysterically. Finally I decided to just blow the candles out. There was a lovely puddle of wax on the top of the cake and running down the sides. Finally Stacey opened the door and we lit a few remaining candles, sang "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and told her to blow the candles out fast. It was so extremely funny. She had been in the bathroom and was the only one home. So much for having it all worked out. Hopefully it was a good birthday surprise even though the cake looked pathetic. It just showes that we care.

(Jennifer - don't worry another blog will be coming soon...the one you have been waiting for)