wedding video

here's a little slideshow that my cousin, graham ballantyne, put together for us for our wedding

http://animoto.com/play/qEtfso0ReFfW9XO2qvhaDA

enjoy!

wedding details

by the end of this week there will be only two months left before the big day. it's hard to believe that the last few months have passed by so quickly. when i look at a list of things a bride should have done by now, i'm somewhat overwhelmed. i mean, there's only one of me and, more often than not, maybe only one of my five bridesmaids is in town to lend a hand.

that doesn't mean that it isn't coming together... it's just taking a little longer than i'd imagined

just this past saturday andrew and i headed off to yaletown for our engagement photos. yes, it seems a little late for those, but better late than never. and i have to say, if you ever want photos taken, you have to hire our photographer - she's amazing! it's strange to say that i found out about her through facebook, but it's true. janelle hildebrand had posted her wedding photos and i absolutely fell in love with them. when i went to her photographer's website i just knew that i had to meet her. a few days later and christine was booked as our photographer. now i just can't wait to get the engagement photos back. from leaping into rew's arms on top of a rock in the ocean, to playing leap frog on a grassy hill, to climbing up a playground, to posing against a myriad of brick walls, it was a fun day of photos

aside from that, the bridesmaids dresses are in the mail, my dress is almost finished with alterations (and the portuguese crisis has been averted), i bought my shoes and i have my veil... and just about all of the wedding invitations have been sent out! if you got one, or even if you're just curious, feel free to check out the blog that i created full of wedding info. the website is right here

if you're in town and want to do anything wedding-y, come find me - i need all the help i can get

handy andy

handy andy is certainly no reference to my dad. no, my dad can be handy around the house with the gardening and the tidying and those sorts of things, but his building skills are somewhat limited (and yes, that may be an understatement). thankfully, i'm marrying the quintessential handy andy. i just figured i'd post a few pictures of the carpentry project he's been storing in my parent's garage. when all is said and done, he will have constructed our bed, side tables and an armoire/dresser. here's a look at the beginning of all of that... the bed is actually finished now and stained a deep chocolate brown (oh so beautiful). unfortunately it's heavy and tucked in the corner of the garage, but when it comes back out again, i'll post the finished photos. i figure what's a blog good for except to brag about the many talents of a fiance :)

here's the initial load of lumber... we're suprised the truck didnt tip over

here's rew and the beginnings of the bed frame...

here's the frame itself... it now has vertical slats covering the hole in the middle and the foot board is shorter, but is a similar style. don't let the blonde wood fool you - it's earned it's tan by now.

that kinda bride

so i went to my church's website to look for the podcast from the sunday night service, and when i open up the page, i'm greeted by the loveliest of all photographs (see left). uhhhh.... i don't know about you, but if i was someone looking for a church and that's the photo that came up on their main page, i might be more than a little concerned. not that there's anything wrong with looking like a bride straight out of the 1908s, but... okay, no, there is something wrong with that. i'm just thankful that my own wedding dress doesn't even vaguely resemble this one - aside from the colour, that is. however, the wing-ed hair piece reminds of one of those little dinosaurs that ends up hissing and killing 'Newman' in the original Jurassic Park and i guess that's kinda cool.

so that's my two cents for this afternoon. at least this bride had her wedding all put together by the time this photo was taken. me, i'm no where near the end of the craziness. one of these days i'm going to have to start making some more decisions and have an idea of the overall look of my reception... one of these days...

our new house?

it's hard to believe that we may have just bought our own place

we've been looking in tsawwassen and ladner for a two bedroom condo that might work for us. ideally we wanted a place that was move-in ready but not perfected so that 'handy andy' could do his thing and make it absolutely beautiful (i.e. increase the value with a little sweat equity)

we've looked at a whole host of condos over the past few weeks, and while some were nice, there was nothing that we were especially excited about. after praying about it at bible study last tuesday, a beautiful place came on the market the next day. this place was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1400 square foot condo in a red brick building in the middle of tsawwassen. unfortunately it was listed at a price a little above our budget, but after checking out it's specs online, we wanted to take a look at it.

on thursday afternoon, we met our realtor, Linda, to take a look at the place. the building itself is gorgeous - there are plenty of common rooms, including a hot tub, sauna, gym, hobby room/workshop, card room, kitchen and the like. the lobby looks much like that of a hotel and there's a giant courtyard overlooking the 17th green of the beach grove golf course. the condo itself was incredibly spacious, though it certainly is in need of some work. walking in the door, i was reminded of my grandma. not only did it smell like her (you know, the sweet smell of grandma & grandpas soap mixed with the antique/slightly dated furniture) but it was decorated in a way that she would have loved.

andrew and i quickly became excited about the place because of the huge living room and dining room area which translates into tons of space to have kids over and entertain. we're not really looking to buy a condo just for ourselves, but a place where our youth kids would have room to come and hang out (though the idea of our own retreat is nice too)

anyway, yesterday night after touring my mom and dad around the place, we sat down with Linda and made an offer. we had to offer less than asking because we're certainly stretching ourselves to afford this place, but we were certain that if this was the place that God wanted to bless us with, then our offer would be accepted. that may sound strange to some of you, but when andrew was praying with ron on thursday, a price came to mind, and so when rew and i sat down to discuss and pray about it yesterday night, we decided that if we could get it for that exact price, we would know that it was the place for us.

this morning we received a call from linda - our offer had been accepted at our exact price! we're thrilled and scared and nervous all at the same time. the offer still has a number of subjects on it (inspections, reading minutes, and the like) but if all goes through, then we take possession of the place on april 1st.

so i'm fairly stunned at the moment... our first place...wow! here's a glimpse of what it currently looks like. we'll post the after pictures at a later date! :)

the view

the spare bedroom

the nook











the kitchen... eek, but it'll do










the living room again











the giant master with a walk-closet i could live in and a bathroom so big you could host a dance party

it needs some tlc and a little updating, so use your imagination

a little east coast...

i just thought i would post a few pictures from my trip out to the east coast this christmas. it's not a terribly fantastic blog post, but i just figured i'd put a little something up.

andrew and i at his sdbc staff christmas boat cruise (just before we headed east)

dancing around the snow covered driveway in moncton, nb (yes, i'm aware that i'm a dork)

rew and i outside in the snow...

carrie (my soon to be sister-in-law) at her wedding to wayne - she looked oh so amazing! (i wish i could plan a wedding in 14 days!)

just married! carrie & wayne thomas

my east coast family - carrie, wayne, me, rew, blair , debbie (dad & mom macdonald)

rew and the retirement home kitty

me and santa

the city hall manger scene - who knew that there was that much snow in bethlehem! i'd figured i'd point out Jesus seeing as he was covered over in snow.

the macdonald farm in kouchibouguac, new brunswick (try saying that five times fast)

the things you show to students around christmas...

i laughed when i found this clip on teachertube.com. sometimes i wonder what we're really actually teaching our students when i see clips like penguins singing christmas carols in french, but then i realize that watching animated penguins sing and dance is probably much more entertaining than watching me sing and dance (entertaining for the students anyway). let's be serious, i find penguins pretty cute and entertaining, and so i leave you with the clip (which i've yet to show to my students)

sitting, waiting, wishing...

i am not too fond of sitting and waiting.

in about one week i'll know if i'm living here for the next few years or if i'm off to the hinterlands (a.k.a the middle of the country where there's only ever snow or giant bugs).

in either place, andrew and i will be starting our lives together, so i really have very little to complain about. i guess snow could be a good thing...and we could actually afford to live in the middle of nowheresville, saskatchewan, but the lack of mountains and ocean is rather unappealing.

so i'm sitting, and waiting (and trying to be patient) ... will i be here or there? does it even really matter?

Being sent

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the concept of 'being sent'. It's a phrase I hear spoken by friends, by youth and all over the church. In Acts 13 you see Saul and Barnabas sent out to the uttermost parts of the earth (an early example of the 'sending church'). Yet 'sent' need not mean dispersed over all the earth, but rather being marked by intercession, caring for the needs of hurting people, hungering to teach the Word of God, and demonstrating a willingness to listen to & allow the Spirit to move (among other things).

I see the idea of 'being sent' also reflected in the words of Peter. His main challenge in 1 Peter 2:9-10 is that you must act on the privileges that have come to you through the grace of God (not remaining in the despair that holds so many nations captive).

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

In looking for more insight on the notion of 'being sent', I came across an article written by Gordon MacDonald in 1981 titled, The Sending Church. Here's an excerpt that I thought related directly to the notion of being sent.

The mission

The mission of Jesus Christ was also part of the sending mindset of Peter. Recall again that incredible moment when Peter resists the notion that Jesus can use him. Christ said to him in what must have been gentle but firm words, "Peter, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." And when Jesus invades that group of men in those first days they have anything but a sending mindset. These men are relatively poor, probably uneducated, come out of the simpler professions and have a provincial view of the world and of history. Moreover, they are poorly organized.

There is a "Peanut's" story in which Linus, Lucy's younger brother, is watching television. Lucy walks into the living room, looks at Linus's choice of program and says, "Change the channel!" Linus looks up and he replies, "What makes you think that you can walk into this room and just say like that, 'Change the channel'?" She says, "You see this hand? Individually these five fingers don't amount to much, but rolled together tightly into a ball-like fist they become a weapon formidable to behold." Linus changes the channel. And after Lucy is comfortably ensconced and watching her own program, Linus looks at his own hand and fingers, and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?"

This could have been said to the disciples to challenge them to become apostles. I wouldn't have picked one of those men. Indeed, there must have been moments when in his humanity Jesus must have said, "Why can't you guys get organized?"

The answer is simple. In the earliest stages of their walk with Jesus they were like many of us. They loved him; they were following him, but they did not yet think of "sending." They had to grasp the notion at the very beginning that God the Father so loved the world that he gave his only Son; he sent him into the world that the world through him might be saved. Until they knew that Jesus was the sent One from the Father, and that they in turn were to be sent by him, they could never mature and get organized as they were to be. Jesus was drilling this deeply into their spirits month by month in experiences of discipleship, failure and success, slowly unfolding to them this enormous concept that we are trying to grasp that every person is sent.

John 4 tells the story of the woman at the well in which Jesus talks to the woman and her life is scoured and changed. The disciples come back thinking that Jesus would be hungry for food. But he said, "Look, food is good, but that's not the important priority today. My food is to do the will of the one who sent me. Look out upon the fields and see these people coming. They are the most important thing." That's the way we think when we are sent.

Slowly, rhythmically, like a sledgehammer pounding at the resistance of their innermost spirits, Peter and the men around him are taught what it means to be sent.

In John 17:18 Jesus says, "Even as you, Father, have sent me into the world, so I have sent them." And in John 20:21 he says, "As the Father has sent me, even so send I you." Over and over, each time he is in the presence of Jesus, this great consuming theme touches Peter's life. He begins to see it as the important issue.

oh mitosis

mitosis...in synchro swimming form



this is how you know you're becoming one of those geeky teachers... sadly i sit here and laugh at mitosis. if only my students had studied for their tests.

ENGAGED!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

andrew and i headed down to seattle for the weekend with 30 of the senior highs and i certainly did not expect to be coming home with a ring on my finger.

the drive down on friday afternoon/evening was absolutely horrid. andrew and chris drove the majority of the sr highs in the two fifteen passenger vans, and i drove andrew's truck with the luggage and three senior high girls. all was going well until we got to the border. andrew and finch were about twenty cars ahead of me and they made it through with very little trouble at all. when i got to the border, however, i was questioned about anything and everything by a very grumpy old border guard. he got mad at me for driving andrew's truck. he got mad at me because the forms that i had for the girls weren't formal enough. he got mad at me for having everyone's luggage (even though that's how we always arrange things and we don't usually have any trouble at all). he even got mad at me for the apple core in the garbage can. after getting as mad as he could, he wrote us up and made us pull over to be searched. that's where we met santiago. he was the equally disgruntled border guard who yelled at us and wouldn't believe that we just wanted to go to seattle to visit and shop with our youth group. after checking our passports for the 57th time, he headed out to the truck and searched everything. when he saw that we really didn't have anything explosive or illegal he reluctantly let us return to the truck and continue on down to seattle.

you can imagine the mood i was in as i drove down. yeah, i was happy that i was finally allowed to continue the trip, but never before had i met two boarder guards as tempermental and down-right mean as those two guys.

when we finally made it to seattle, we pulled up at the church where we were staying (mars hill - west seattle campus), unloaded the truck and the vans, had a quick tour of the place, then jumped back into the vans and proceeded to drive to the space needle for a late night view of the city.

walking up to the space needle andrew told me that he wanted grant and i to organize a surprise snack for the kids. he gave the two of us tickets and we headed up top before everyone else. on the way up grant was a little more serious and focussed than usual, and i questioned whether or not the proposal would happen that night, but i tried not to think about it and continued on as usual. once at the top, it was my job to find a place outside on the deck where all the kids would be able to congregate. i sat out there waiting and as i waited i took a few pictures of the view with my phone. when i turned around i saw one of the kids (geoff cotter) walking towards me with a huge smile on his face and a gerbera daisy in his hand. at that moment i knew exactly what was happening and i began shaking, crying, laughing and smiling all at the same time. as each of the senior highs and leaders passed me a flower they all said something encouraging/something that they loved about me. it was AMAZING. i am so blessed to have such incredible senior highs and friends.

when all thirty had given me their flowers, i stood and waited for andrew. he waited a minute or two after the last of them and then walked toward me with the last flower. all of the kids watched from inside the space needle, with their bodies pressed up against the glass. the first thing he said to me as i stood there smiling/laughing/crying was, "sooo... do you like stuff?" and i answered, "yeah...i like stuff". after that he proceeded to say some incredible beautiful things, then got down on one knee, opened the box and asked me to marry him. i can't remember my exact reaction, but i said yes! it was difficult for him to put on the ring as i balanced all thirty flowers and greenery, but he did it. now not only do i have a beautiful ring, but i also have a beautiful man that i'm going to marry next summer.

i don't think i could be any happier

everyday images

writing a science test













one student's attempt at flattery













walking past a locker


















staring at the overhead


















marking a bird cell project


















my classroom


















a whole host of projects













lockers abound













my whiteboard













guarding against cheating

you stole what??

i'm walking around my science classroom the other day when i notice that one of my students appears to have an uncontrollable case of the giggles whenever i pass by. i pause and check - no, my fly is not undone, i don't have anything smushed in between my teeth, and as far as i can tell i haven't sat in anything that could remain stuck to my butt. i continue walking around trying to think nothing of the giggling (afterall, i do indeed giggle a little myself) but after another minute or two i just have to ask what's going on. through her giggles she manages to get out, "ms. salt.... i stole something of yours....." Uhh... what?! I quickly attempted to brainstorm anything of value that i had with me in the classroom that she might want to steal. When I came up with nothing, I just stood there, staring at her, so incredibly puzzled. Why, oh why, would anyone steal something from their teacher and then tell them about it? Not too sure what to do, and slightly concerned, I checked around the table she was sitting at to see if I could find anything of mine. With no luck, I asked her again what it was that she took, but there was no response through the giggles. Thankfully, one of the boys behind her spotted my coffee mug amidst her things. Now, more confused than ever, I stood there questioning why anyone would want to steal my empty coffee mug of all things. Last I checked it was a coffee mug - nothing too lucrative. Yes, it's covered in pictures of my random adventures with friends around seattle, school, and camp, but it's nothing that I figured anyone would be interested enough in to steal. With my coffee mug returned, she giggled, "Who knows what it's going to be next time, Ms Salt?!" and I shot her a 'teacher glare' while laughing inside. What a strange start to my morning.

"ms salt, you're too peppy for me"

it's certainly not something that i've been hiding. clearly, when it comes to teaching and chatting with kids, i'm the one you'll find singing and dancing around a classroom. i laughed the other day when one of my grade ten students told me that i was "too peppy for him". is boring supposedly where it's at when you're teaching? i hope, if anything, my classes are far from boring.

it's certainly been an adventure teaching in my old high school thus far. the one thing that i'm thankful for is that even though i'm spread out over five classrooms in seven blocks, i have five years of sdss under my belt already, so i don't tend to get lost (though i do not venture into the math wing - i may get lost in there as it was built after my time). there are, however, several new spaces that i'm discovering as i become more and more a part of the staff at south delta. there's the hidden french bookroom, the four different photocopy rooms that i use (though there are 8 photocopiers in the school - a random fact for you), the elevator (which i've now actually used), the conference room, the staff washroom (far superior to the other salle des bains), the conference room (which i've now conferenced in) and the staffroom (oh the joys of that place). i've yet to completely adjust to calling all of my old teachers by their first names, but it does make introducing myself far easier when i already know so many of the people.

the one thing that i do love is how excited some of my old teachers are about having me as a part of the teaching staff. just this morning cheryl (brasnett) was knocking on the window of the door between our rooms (i teach one block of french 9 next to her biology class) and giving me the thumbs up while smiling profusely. then there was suzan (olsen) who lent me some of her french immersion 8 students when she saw me carrying textbooks down the hall. she also pokes her head in my room from time to time, waves her arms, and shouts in french to encourage me. oh it's crazy. chris (yang) and i reminisced over how i schooled his science 10 class in his first year of teaching (funny that i'm now in the same position - teaching science 10 in my first year) and brian (outerbridge) and i have had chats about his newest move from braces to retainers and the 'happy summer' cake i and a bunch of people baked him many many summers ago.

i do also love that whenever i walk down the halls, i see someone that i know. i'm sure that it's absolutely bizarre for some of the kids that i know so well outside of school to call me ms./mlle. salt, but i think they're slowly becoming accustomed to it (as i am becoming accustomed to being called ms./mlle. salt). now with my seven blocks of students added into the mix, i'm beginning to know my fair share of people.

anyway, this teacher needs to finish writing the science quiz she's handing out tomorrow and decide more firmly on the keyboarding curriculum that she's going to implement. almost two weeks down and i haven't drowned in my school work yet...

and there's just no changing that 'peppy' business

south delta - what?!

guess who's the newest teacher to be added to the staffing list at south delta secondary? strangely enough, the answer is me! i start monday in a full-time position teaching french, science and a wee bit of keyboarding. the peasants rejoice! (or at least i rejoice in the offer of a full-time job!) i'll certainly miss the grade 8's & 9's at north delta secondary who i've been teaching french to for the last week, but i have a bunch of new classes waiting for me a 10 min walk from my house.

how odd will it be walking into the staff room and chatting with the teachers who helped me make it through high school? VERY, but i think i'll get over it (let's hope anyway) and from what i've heard a few of them are excited to have me there.

okay, off to this morning's homeroom class i go.

hurray!

jenn is.... lost in a sea of french

at the moment i'm TOC-ing full time at north delta secondary teaching french 8 and french 9 all day everyday. in the next few days there is a good possibility that the job will turn into a full-time contract so that i'm no longer only subbing. i must say though, planning for a full day of french is ridiculous - but in a good way. my grasp of the language is probably not quite what it should be, but i am in love with it. i can't even begin to count how many french songs i've listened to or chants i've chanted in the past few hours. my favourite song at the moment is the french version of the seven days of the week set to the flintstones song. clearly it doesn't get better than this:

Lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche
Les sept jours de la semaine
Cinquante-deux fois pendant toute l’année
Cinq jours on apprend à l’école
Mes profs et mes amis sont si drôles
Lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, LE WEEKEND, samedi, dimanche
Les sept jours de la semaine!

if only i could sing that song to my grade 12 homeroom.....

speaking of which, how crazy is it that i have a grade 12 homeroom? let's be serious, i don't look much, if at all, older than the bunch of them. i wasn't supposed to have a homeroom at all, but when i walked in the school this morning i was thrown a box of planners, magnets, picture forms and locater cards and told to go to a room in the far corner of the school (as far from my actual classroom as you could seemingly get) and tell the grade twelves what to do. hah. i didn't know how to get anywhere around the school let alone tell students who've been at the school for four years what to do. but i mean, who wouldn't want to be the new teacher in a school who gets lost and has no clue what to do? though i cannot truly complain as these grade twelves were far better than the gong show that apparently occurred at south delta today. those grade twelves adopted the slogan "masturbate for grad '08" and chanted it throughout their assembly and wrote that and various other slogans all over their clothes. eek. we raise 'em well in tsawwassen.

back to the french planning. if anyone has a better grasp of the language or the curriculum than i (which should be almost everyone), let me know what i should do to give these kids an amazing semester. for now, we sing!

new beginnings

the next few weeks are all about new beginnings, and i'm not so sure that i'm completely onboard - not that i really have a choice in the matter, but i believe that's why i'm blogging

there are just under 6 full days of class left until i'm a certified teacher. it's a little scary to think that i'm so close to having a 'real job' but i'm excited all the same. jessi and i walked through superstore the other day and there were rows and rows full of school supplies. i took one look at those supplies and started jumping up and down - butterflies rumbling in my stomach. kids will soon be buying those supplies for my class! i'll be standing there, somewhere around the room, as they work away at whatever tasks i have assigned. it's crazy to think that i'm going to be given that much control. after all, here i sit in class right now typing away at my laptop paying very little attention to the comings and goings in this very classroom.

the end of school also means that rachel has flown back to south africa and kiki will soon be flying off to nicaragua. it's no longer difficult to 'think international' with my girls heading off all over the world. even those that are closest (leslie in winnipeg and jessi in victoria) are still far enough away that i don't and won't get to see them very often. is this what it's like being all grown up? your friends move away and your long distance bills increase? i'm not so sure that i love this new aspect of my life. i love having girls around to chat and cuddle up to and do silly things with. maybe that's just drinking coffee or dancing in and out of a movie theatre (oh hairspray, how i love thee), but it's something different than hanging out with the guys.

along with moving back to victoria, jessi and clifton are tying the knot in just over three weeks (the 24th). i am oh so excited for the both of them. in hanging out with them recently i've noticed how much they love each other and are in love with each other and i couldn't be happier to stand up for them at their wedding. i have a feeling that the day is going to be absolutely beautiful - that's if jessi and i can sort out everything that has to be done before then. anyone ever made marshmellow fondant before? yeah, us neither. with all of this stuff to be done leading up to the day, it will be a little odd when it's all said and done and they've moved on back to victoria. while vic is close, it's still a minimum 2 hrs in ferry dealings another 1.5 on the bus or 30 min by car and anywhere from 25-100$ to get over there for a day (though that's a heck of a lot cheaper than a flight to the other side of the world or to the middle of my own country).

there's a lot that i need to get used to in the next few weeks: my girls are coming and going (though mostly going), i officially begin my new career, and i get to see two of my favourite people get married. in the midst of all that i need to pick a district to work in and find a place to live. that might be easier if there were still people around to move in with, but there just has to be someone out there - i'm not too worried...yet. i also need to find a way to actually spend time with my lovely boyfriend. it's hard being out at ubc and in the pit of tsawwassen which are two places no where near his place in coquitlam or his work in south surrey. he's not quite sure what the fall is going to look like for him either, but here's hoping that saskatchewan isn't calling his name. if it is, well i guess i'll just have to get used to that, though the amount of long distance numbers that i need to call is already far too large for my liking.

now that i've officially lost sight of why i'm writing, i figure that i should just conclude. i think there are just some aspects of change that shake me a little, and i've certainly listed more than a few. don't get me wrong, i'm not crushed nor torn about the change that is happening, but until it all does occur, i'm not so sure where i stand. i'm excited to see change - it means that my life is moving forward and not just standing still, but sometimes change is so much easier to embrace when there are friends around to see it through

looking for a teacher?

are you looking for a teacher?

this one is 23 (soon 24), with long strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles. she has just completed three grueling months of student teaching where she taught 100% for the duration of her practicum. for the most part, she came out of the experience unscathed, though a few bitter feelings still associate themselves with the dying days of her practicum. she learned how to teach science, math, planning, p.e., french and humanities to grade 8 students while coaching cheerleading & dance, track & field, and ultimate. the students responded to her well and their grades improved under her tutelage, but evidence such as "le tigre est un oiseau" (no, tigers are not birds) leaves us to believe that there is much more to be taught to these newly donned teenagers. she has recently been hired in both the delta and coquitlam school districts, but has still yet to hear back from all of the districts that she applied to. there is the potential that she may be hired on to a full-time job in delta, but the 'coming soon' status on the delta district website is annoyingly ambiguous about what is happening with that particular job prospect.

if you're looking for a teacher, this one just might be the one. she's a wee bit crazy and she sings off-key, but she giggles while she teaches and is absolutely in love with teaching. she would surely welcome any opportunity to be stolen away for an interview (or really an anything) during the six dreadful weeks of summer school that ubc has currently committed her to.

biblelicious def-

why rachel and i re-wrote these lyrics at 1 in the morning, we're not too sure, but we performed it (actions and all) for the kids in our youth group and, for some reason or another, they loved it. so here you go...

Four, tres, two, uno

Listen up ya'll, Cuz this is it
The book that we’re bangin' ain’t fic-tit-ious

Biblelicious definition make us really holy
We want to be like Jesus, yes, that is our top goal-ie
You can read it, you can preach it
It’s real easy, It ain't sleazy
We got reasons to love Jesus
God and Spirit in all seasons

Biblelicious (not fictitious)
It really ain’t malicious
And if you was suspicious
Check the word it’s so delicious
We say prayers (action here….)
‘Cause he is our rock, rock
And he helps on our journey that we call our daily walk (four, tres, two, uno)

So biblelicious (It's hot, hot)
So biblelicious (‘Cause he is our rock, rock)
So biblelicious (Helpin our daily walk)
Biblelicious (J-J-J-J-J-Jesus, Jesus)

Biblelicious def-, Biblelicious def-, Biblelicious def-…
Biblelicious definition make Satan go crazy
But Jesus really knows me
Comin’ to Him call it Praise-y
With the B to the I, B, the L and the E
Ain’t no other book speakin God’s truth to me

We’re Biblelicious (not fictitiious)
Don’t mean to sound repetitious
But we be up in the church working on our spiritual fitness
He's our witness (oooh wee)
God is our solid rock rock
And he helps on our journey that we call our daily walk (four, tres, two, uno)

So biblelicious (It's hot, hot)
So biblelicious (‘Cause he is our rock, rock)
So biblelicious (Helpin on our daily walk)
Biblelicious (hold hold hold hold hold up, check it out)

God, Jesus, Spirit
Oh we really love you
We will sing your praises
Worship you alone
You have given us so much
There is no one like you
We thank-you for our life
You are oh so faithful

B to the I to the B the L the E, go BIBLE!
B to the I to the B the L the E, go BIBLE!
J to the E to the S the U the S, go JESUS!
J to the E to the S the U the S, go JESUS!

From the start there was Adam and his lady Eve,
Moses took the people, cross the river they did leave
Josh took the people into the promised land,
David slew a giant with a rock in his hand
Jesus came to the earth and on the cross he bled and died
three days later he rose and glorified
So what we’re trying to say is that Christ has come and saved the day
Now they say we…

Biblelicious (not fictitious)
It really ain’t malicious
And if you was suspicious
Check the word it’s so delicious
We say prayers (action here….)
‘Cause he is our rock, rock
And he helps on our journey that we call our daily walk
(four, tres, two, uno)

Don’t mean to sound repetitious
But we be up in the church working on our spiritual fitness
He's our witness (oooh wee)
God is our solid rock rock
And he helps on our journey that we call our daily walk (four, tres, two, uno)

It's biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
So biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
So biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
We’re biblelicious, J-J-J-J-J-Jesus, Jesus

It's biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
So biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
So biblelicious (aye, aye, aye, aye)
We’re biblelicious, J-J-J-J-J-Jesus, Jesus

B to the I to the B the L the E, go BIBLE!
B to the I to the B the L the E, go BIBLE!
J to the E to the S the U the S, go JESUS!
J to the E to the S the U the S, go JESUS!

the mess

i'm sitting at my desk, in my classroom, under what seems like several hundred stacks of papers. looking at the clock i realize that my students escaped from this room over four hours ago and yet here i still sit. i've been in the building for over twelve hours thus far - cheerleading practice beckoned my 7:15am arrival and report cards have stalled my departure.

to say i've accomplished nothing today is an incredible understatement. i have coached cheerleading (they worked on their show trophy sequence to rotating split double base and their libs and hitched lib pyramids) taught p.e. (guided children as they ran up a mountain in the rain), math (3 blocks of algebra), and french (Le tigre.... comment est-il? Est-il vert ou orange et noir?) and observed a music class where my students performed their "pieces" (a la 'stomp' - banging on regular household items). I've also attempted to tackle to seemingly endless barrage of marks that i've collected and am still collecting from my students. all that being said, i now sit here having entered all 7 blocks of my marks (with work habits and behavior habits marks for each block).

all that on only an apple, a starbucks coffee, and a few bites of horvath's chicken souvlaki - not too shabby (albeit i'm beginning to fade and the 14 sets of report card comments that i have left to write are becoming more daunting an adventure with each passing minute).

oh me, oh my.

as you can see, instead of finishing up those comments and heading back to my port coquitlam hovel, i've decided to reunite myself with my blog and spend a few good minutes procrastinating. after such a long day, it's kind of nice. to say that i will not accomplish anything significant in the next thirty minutes is sadly not an understatement.

alas, i will return to my stacks in order to speed my arrival at my hovel. afterall, middle schools are eerily creepy at 7:45pm, and i don't want to remain here past the departure of the custodial staff.