Shabbat Shalom!
Happy day off!
Wonderful weekend!
I have piles of things to work on and lists of things to do, but I believe I deserve a day off, a day to rest, a day to enjoy breathing, a day to slow down, a day to reflect on life, the past year, the past season, the past two months, the past week. So, I am taking advantage on a day to catch you all up as well.
Reflection/Catch Up:
This week Heath and I will hit our two-year anniversary mark! It is amazing how I feel like we have been together forever, yet how fast the time has gone.
Past Year
This past year has been one of many new things. We have become homeowners in CA (I never thought this is what my story would look like.) I have entered a phases in my career that I actually love! I am finally able to enjoy me students, enjoy what I teach, enjoy leaving work at work (for the most part) enjoy knowing what I am doing, enjoying making it through the flaming hoops of California Credentialing criteria and Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act” requirements. The latest news it that I have in fact passed the three monstrous tests CA requires for their dream art teachers. I honestly don’t know how I passed; the subject matter was sooooo broad. But I did it! This means in order to keep my job beyond December all I have to accomplish is the passing of 2 more classes by video.
Past Season
Heath and I were able to enjoy this past summer together before he left for Kuwait. We enjoyed taking a trip up the west coast to Seattle to meet our new sister-in-law, and witness the marriage of her to Heaths only brother Michael. They are doing well, busy, but in love and determined to work through life together. (I am so glad our first year is long gone) We also took a trip this summer to Thailand; I in fact started this blog while out there, but did not post pictures then. This will be an appropriate time to refer you back to the website (Sharps Abroad)that the Sharps logged their journey because they just posted a story of a woman who survived the Tsunami. Jan, she is the one who connected us with the orphaned children at the school, while we were there she told me in her hard to understand English her recollection of the story. And how it has changed her life; as a survivor she feels it is her purpose to help others. It is touching; you will have to check it out. Here are some of our pictures. (I am having technidifficultiesties posting these...I will keep trying) You can go to our July site to hear our stories from the trip.
Past 2 Months
Heath has been gone for 6 weeks now, 20 or so to go. I still have been managing to keep myself very busy! It has been a blessing to have my darling sister living out her with me. She mentioned in her blog something about loving this stage of our relationship/ friendship. I agree, rather than “big sister/little sister” it seems we are much closer in age now that she is almost 20 and I almost 27. (Yikes are we both really there?) Anyway, this friendship thing is starting to grow more and more and I love it.
On behalf of our goodbye to Heath it has been my intention to post pictures from the surprise party that we threw for him the weekend before he left. He was completely surprised and it was so much fun. We celebrated all of the holidays that he will miss, which are all the American holidays except for July 4th. We had deep-fried turkey and other thanksgiving food, we all dressed up for Halloween (even had a costume for Heath), we played games and had decorations and cookies to go with all the holidays. The final part of the evening was his birthday cake and gifts. The large gift was an iPod that friends put their own play list of favorite music for him to enjoy while away from home. We also were able to put pictures and audio books on it as well. He has said that he canÂ’t imagine life without it. He was so surprised and I was so relieved I didnÂ’t have to keep it from him anymore. It was so hard to make up stories so he wouldnÂ’t find out. (See suprise pictures)
Past Week
Heath has mentioned that it has been interesting over in Kuwait, being the Muslim New year, and now the Jewish New Year. Not that the Jewish New Year is celebrated there, but there are Jewish and messianic Jewish believers there on the base. So at this time they have had a rabbi there to conduct the fall festivals. Heath has attended last weekends Shabbat Service and the Yom Kippur service this week. How fascinating for him to be able to be a part of a service that reflects even the Christian heritage and learn from them at this time. This Hebraic background has been an area that I have desired to learn more about the past three years or so. If Jesus was a Jew than wouldnÂ’t it make sense for me, if I desire to model my life after his, to have a better understanding of where he was coming form, and wouldnÂ’t I understand the meat of his teaching if I have a better understanding of the history and culture that was a part of who He was. (Food for thought)
In the mean time, I am becoming much more educated than ever on our American Court system, I was called to do my civil duty this week and show up for Jury duty. I thought my chances of being chosen for a case were very few, being that there were about 600 jurors in the room with me and only about 5 or 6 cases. I was wrong; I was called to be one of the 35 to be once again narrowed down to 12, with 6 alternates. So here thinking once again I had 50% chance of being chosen. Sure enough I was alternate # 3 and then got moved to Juror # 3. The case was supposed to be a 3-day trial, but I have had to write lesson plans for 5 days now. I just really hope we will be done on Monday. This is all so educational though!
