meal marathon

Yesterday, I drove up to Mill Creek with Malia and her family to help out with COTN's 285k Meal Marathon. The goal was to make 285,000 meals to fill a container to be shipped to Sierra Leone. At each station 5-7 people work to put the ingredients in a plastic bag - lentils, spice, chicken and rice. Then someone weighs each bag to make sure it falls between 390-400g. Then it the bag gets sealed and boxed up to go. We were there helping for a couple hours in the afternoon. My favorites - holding the bag...sealing...and weighing. It's funny to see how repetitive, mostly-mindless work can be so relaxing!

Modern Masquerade

As the junior class advisor I get to oversee the planning/pulling off of the JSB - Junior Senior Banquet. The theme this year was a masquerade and the students were supposed to come wearing masks. Quite a bit of creativity showed up! The room was decorated to fit the theme, the food delicious and the photographers were awesome. We hired a couple that we hear about through one of the teachers. They mostly do weddings, but are branching out into family and senior pictures as well. It was so fun having them at the event...they are all about capturing fun and crazy shots. You should check out their work - Brighten Photography. Such a fun and creative couple - the students couldn't take enought pictures! That's kind of all the banquet is...an excuse to buy a fancy dress, get your hair and makeup done and then take as many pictures as possible! I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Only 6 more mondays left until summer break! :)

baby

Yesterday we celebrated Kate and her baby to be, James. Kate and Glenn want to start a library for the nursery and so I bought a baby proof copy of my favorite book The Rainbow Fish...I probably like it because it's related to biology and colorful, not to mention about sharing and the blessings you receive in giving yourself away! :)

I found a bag with the cutest print to package the gift all together. love the bold colors and of course, animals!

Spinning

I have been afraid of spinning my whole gym career. Whenever I would walk by a class in session all I saw was pain on the faces of the cyclists...sweat and pain. Why would I want to subject myself to such torture? And the class instructor always looked psycho...smiling and laughing and yelling to work harder and pedal faster. On the plus, the music was always seemed fun and motivating. So after watching from a distance on my own stationary bike and a motivating conversation with my hair stylist, I decided I would overcome my fear of spinning and check it out. I figured it would be easier if I had another first timer with me, so I invited my roommate Sarah, and much to my surprise she said yes! Saturday morning came too quickly and I was worried the class would fill up so we got to the gym 20 minutes early...lucky because they actually take reservations for the class 30 minutes beforehand, it is that popular.

The class was everything I thought it would be...grueling, sweat, burn, tears, laughter...and really good music. The instructor found out it was our first time and so she would always yell, "how are my new girls in the back doing?" and everyone cheered for us at the end of the class...my guess is because we didn't walk out? So an hour later I was drenched in sweat, out of water with a sore butt. But I did it and it felt so good I'll probably do it again...in fact this Tuesday there's another class! It was fun exercising with a group of people again...kind of like a team where we were encouraging each other on and pushing each other to finish. Definitely my kind of workout...to bad it took me so long to check it out.

latest going ons

The view from my front porch this morning

Well...February has been busy, busy. Lucky for me, in so many good ways. Middle School basketball started - I am coaching the JV team. We are 3-1 right now! yay! and we are having so much fun. I never knew I would love coaching so much and that it would be so natural...being back in the gym is unbelievable. We recently took the girls to a UW womens basketball game. They were on a 12 game losing streak until they beat UCLA last friday. It was a great game...harry the husky definitely was a highlight...although he touched my leg...akward.



My roommate Alicia's birthday was this month as well. We celebrated at mamma melinas - delicious italian food. Of course I ordered the risotto, mmmmm. There were 15 girls and then Alicia's brother...lucky guy! :)





Sadly, I did lose a friend to Denmark. Emily and her husband moved to Denmark a couple of weeks ago and I have missed em so much! What an adventure. I can't wait to visit.

I'm also preparing to take a team of students to the Dominican Republic in the beginning of April. I am beginning to get excited as we meet and plan out our time there. It has been stressful though organizing everything! So much work taking 26 students out of the country! :) I'm definitely looking forward to the sun and heat. It is so cold here right now.

In fact, it snowed last night and so we are on a two-hour late start. Oh, if everyday we started at 9:45...I could get in yoga, make a good breakfast to go with my homemade latte, read, blog, shower and take my time getting ready! It was exactly what I needed this morning! Thank you puget sound convergence zone!



Off to start the day...on a better foot than yesterday! Yay for snow!

Stress

Life is messy...

I'm trying to be okay with that fact of life today. Life is not orderly, predictable, or controlled. It is hectic, unreasonable, and unexpected. I'd like to think that I handle stress fairly well, but today I have done a poor job and it's not even noon. I have to believe that out of the messiness that causes stress there is good to come, either I will be changed in the process or someone else will be changed. Without that hope, it's pointless.

girlfriends...

I had such an unbelievable night yesterday. We had some quality roommate time, outside of Bible Study. We all packed into Megs car and drove down to her parents house for dinner. mmmm. so good. We had salad and spaghetti pie and skookie!...a delicious dessert of fresh baked cookie and ice cream and all the toppings. Then we all went to the living room and were entertained by Aiden and Dover, their two welsh corgies. Dover is just a little guy and he waddles around the room barely off the floor and he would wrestle with Aiden who is like 5 times his size! We just laughed and laughed. It reminded me of our Hoogestraat Christmas where we watched my cousins dogs wrestle in the living room for what felt like hours! On the way home, we busted out Mariah Carey and sand "Always be my Baby" at the top of our lungs! It's amazing how we all remembered all the words and dos and dahs. I felt so free to be me...felt like I was back in high school hanging out with my friends without a care in the world! how good it feels. We went to the stube after and met up with some other friends, enjoying good company and drink! Already...a favorite memory of 2009.

DMB '08

I finally fulfilled my dream of seeing Dave at the Gorge...it was so amazing! Jennie and I got tickets the day before and headed out to see them Friday night. I was blown away by the scenery...the music...the huge video screens that projected the band...and of course the people! The stars were pretty picture perfect as well. I am definitely going to make the concert a new tradition!

January Update

Seems like I only get around to posting a new entry once a month...not what I had intended but it could be worse! So...December was good...I went to visit malia in ireland and we had a blast! from our adventures on the paddywagon to celebrating Christmas away from home...it was some good quality time! Of course...away from school I asked myself why am I a teacher? and really wasn't looking forward to going back after break...however, when school started back up again I had more fun than ever! The students were great and I had so much energy and excitement! Fast forward to today and it is a different story...I think I may be bipolar when it comes to figuring out what kind of career to pursue. One minute I want a job like teaching, that's flexible, good vacation time, and relational....and then the next I want to be in school again learning, challenging myself and in a health related field...usually my dream is to be a doctor. So which is it? The career that is less demanding, requires another year of school max, that would allow me to have plenty of time for family and friends, is relaxed and laid back....or the high stress, higher paying, no time for anyone, 6 years of school, no breaks, head overflowing with information to remember job of a physician? or perhaps...is there a compromise?

We have had so many snow days this past week that I have had way to much time to think about the future and not so much what I want...but what is God's purpose and plan in my life. I was reading a devotion the other day that talked about waiting on the Lord and I was reminded of my tendency to always jump into the next activity keeping my calendar full even if it isn't "exactly" what I may want to do...and possibly not the choice God would have wanted me to pursue. So I feel as if I am at another crossroads and this time I am waiting...and tonight I feel as if I have part of the answer. I was praying for clarity, discernment and purpose. And I just let go of all that had been on my mind the past few days and I think I heard God speak in my silence. I felt like he was telling me that even failure can be used to fulfill his purposes and carry out his plan....that sometimes failure is what develops character and strength, that facing inadequacy and disappointment can be positive and used for good. I guess I linked this idea to my struggle in applying to medical school. Everything has always come pretty natural for me and I have never had to bend over backwards to work hard for anything too important. So when my MCAT scores weren't what I expected I was so hurt, disappointed and felt like a failure....I felt as though my dream to become a doctor was squashed and that my desire to help others through medicine and use it to lead people to Christ was not a possibility. But now I am realizing that God can take that situation, that failure, adversity and change my heart, my character, and my desire...but only if I am willing. The way I see it I have two options...allow my dream to be trampled by one failure and be intimidated by it, while only pursuing careers I feel confident and comfortable in....or I can say failure and adversity makes you stronger, it develops character....you learn where you should be...what level you should be performing at and then you work your butt off to get there, you sacrifice your time, energy, and all the other activities you do to fill up that space because you feel comfortable, accepted and confident in those activities.

So I am at a crossroads will I become stronger through my failures...or just continue to walk along the smooth plateau? Will I sit back in my comfortable skin...or risk another chance at failing, but this time knowing exactly what it takes to succeed. I hope that I can choose the latter...I am screaming inside for challenge, change, and determination. I just pray that it lasts long enough to materialize into something...a career that inspires me, challenges my abilities, and all in all brings glory to God and his purposes - because he is my ultimate teammate, working alongside me to fulfill his promises and purposes in the Kingdom of God.