Thursday, December 31, 2009

Reflection

Another year has come and gone again. Our first anniversary is right next door! I thought jumping into work right after graduating was a tough transition, but it turned out to be cake compared to all that 2009 has brought us!

On the 2nd day, we married then took off on our 7-night honeymoon on a cruise to Mexico Riviera. A week later, we returned still married and lovey-dovey to our respective jobs at the same school, Mr. Woo in 6/7/8 Math and Mrs. Woo in Third grade.


Mr. Woo has been teaching at school, while also being a full-time student for his credentials. He's been thoroughly enjoying his time at school - staying as late as possible - in attempts to build relationships with students and genuinely caring for their souls. However, he hasn't liked being a student again. He is back in school for his credentials as a means to provide for the family as he is called to do. Mr. Woo's leadership has been a blessing to the family, and still he strives to be a better husband with each new day. Mr. Woo has been adjusting into his role of Children's Ministry director at church, overseeing the Toddlers', Childrens', Youth, Awana, The Eastbay Academy Tutoring programs. And preaching every Sunday for the Childrens' service as well. (He covets your prayers!) This year has been one of diving into the Word as he's been finding glimmery nuggets of Truth and sharing them with others. I'm so encouraged (and challenged) to wake up most mornings and see him already up to prepare himself for the day's battles.

As for me, I've been enjoying the hands-on training that I get as a teacher. I'm making mental notes of what I would like and would not like to implement in child-rearing and educating (we're thinking about homeschooling) as we save up for future "investments." I've also been helping out in Toddlers' Ministry at church. Though I was bummed to not be serving in the college Covenant Flock Group, I'm happy to be ministering to the parents in this way and co-laboring alongside Husband. I've had my fair share of drama this year (pun intended), but rather than jumping into (musical) theatre, God opened doors to join the WEBS Praise Team. It's been a joy serving, knowing that I'm edifying the body. I'm thankful for your encouragement. This past year also gave me more responsibilities behind-the-scenes. Taking care of the home, cooking for my family, working full time, serving in TM, and helping with weddings has kept me very busy. It's been incredibly humbling and sanctifying but a great lesson in my need to set priorities and work heartily for the Lord, even if no one else acknowledges it.

The Woos as a couple have learned so much about themselves, especially our sinful tendencies. Every argument has been due to selfishness and a resistance to putting the other first. Of course, Mr. Woo has been persistent in not letting the sun go down on our anger (cf. Eph. 4:26), and so I'm able to laugh about the matter shortly after. If you think of us, please pray for us and our growth in 2010!
  • Mr. Woo - Selfless and bold leadership
  • Mrs. Woo - Humble and joyful submission



A New Year's post wouldn't be one without the (90%-of-what-we-set-will-probably-not-cross the-2-week-mark) resolutions...

For 2010:
  1. Become a Berean.
  2. Become a Proverbs 31 woman.

Simple, right? So after I master that, I'll tackle the following more measurable goals:
  1. Change my e-mail address.
  2. Change my drivers license.
  3. Change my passport.
  4. Change my CCs... (hey, at least I finally changed my legal name!)
  5. Lose the wedding weight.
  6. Write a few songs.
  7. Write a children's book.
  8. Budget consistently.
  9. Vacation frequently yet while being budget savvy.
  10. Get pregnant (and glow).

Which tasks have you listed after the phrase "For the year 2010, I will..."? ;)

    Wednesday, December 30, 2009

    Do You Hear What I Hear

    We're back from SoCal, and what.a.trip. Not only did we stuff our faces (surprise, surprise) with "awesome" food, but we spent time with extended family members ("love that"), and came back with still a few days of vacation left - "perfect."

    Christmas with Mr. Woo's family is so different than what I'm accustomed to. Spending several days with a bustling house filled with much noise was something I had only seen on TV and heard on the other line when I called friends to wish them a happy holiday. I guess being an only child with relatives living across borders makes it difficult to gather in such conditions. But, you know, this Christmas was a bit different from last year's in that his cousin's husband's sister's family joined us too.

    Meet the cousins + the Lavenders (circa Summer 2008):


    Yes, they have 5 girls. Yup, they all live under the same roof. Yeah, it's fun with them. I'm convinced that the more children the merrier - maybe not on the bank account, but in love, laughter, and cherished memories. Each is their own little person wrapped up with a different personality than the rest. What a joy! We're hoping to go visit them in the South sometime. It'd be my first trip to "my roots!"

    I'm sitting here in the living room (which I've been "poofing" this past fall), and I never realized how quaint and quiet our place was until now...

    Wednesday, December 16, 2009

    Eureka

    An update on my "one size fits all" saga...

    After I uploaded the pictures onto my computer, I got to thinking that there must be some good reason why the front of the robe looks the way it does. I've seen infomercials on Snuggies, and it's not one of those. After Sara's comment I mentioned that I had Mr. Woo try it on last night, but tonight was the night we discovered the designer's intent.

    Here I was, trying to work this thing like Tyra would advice (I'm supposed to even make a trash bag look like it's worth a million dollars, right?). I'm tucking in corners, wrapping one side to the other, and no matter what I do, it looks pathetic. So I did what I do when all else fails - tie it into a pretty bow. Or so I tried. I did feel more Heidi Klum this way though. See the resemblance?



    I was feeling pretty good about my alteration, and asked Mr. Woo to try it on again too. He obliged after the third time.

    Initially he wore part of it (the part that I had tied together) on his head asking, "What, I'm not supposed to wear it this way?" Secretly, I had to rethink throwing out this option. There has to be some reason why those flappy things are just hanging there in the front! Maybe providing a shielding hood was it?


    Then he pulled it down and actually wore it like a robe.


    "Hey, maybe this is supposed to go up like..." As he trailed off, his face told me that he had just discovered something terrific.



    "Maybe you're supposed to wear it the other way! ... Yeah, you're supposed to wear it the other way! Boo, you've been wearing it backwards this whole time."

    o_O Well, I'll be... I've been wearing it backward this entire time. But, you know, I don't think it matters how I wear it - I still look like the red is eating me.

    Saturday, December 12, 2009

    The 12 Days of Christmas

    You hear it every Christmas, from a variety of artists, even the Muppets! But here's something I heard/read for the first time...

    There is one Christmas carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

    This week, I found out.

    From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has twol levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
    • The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
    • Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
    • Three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love.
    • The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
    • The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
    • The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
    • Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit - prophesy, serving, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy.
    • The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
    • Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
    • The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
    • The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
    • The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
     Interesting... I guess that answers some questions. Any thoughts?

    By the way, the image above is actually a coloring page that you can download here. If you have little ones, I'd head over here instead. There's more to print, craft, and interact with.

    Friday, December 11, 2009

    It's the Thought

    It was Nolie's birthday yesterday, so we took our brother out for dinner at Barceluna. (Side note: You know how most restaurants serve warm, freshly baked bread that you can dip into some vinegar and oil? Well, they give you olives, brown and green olives. o_O) When we came back home, we gave Nolie his gift, which I noticed Mr. Woo was eyeing himself (hehe).

    Unexpectedly, Mr. Woo mentioned that he had something for me too. Being the selfish being that I am, the first question out of my mouth (after squealing with excitement) was, "Is this my Christmas present...?" If it was, I was going to be disappointed that he was letting me open it so early. I like surprises and I like gifts, but 13 days early? But my patient husband replied, "No. It's a "just because" gift. I hope you like it. I thought you could use it since you get cold."

    "Awwww, thank you!!" (Shame on me!) So I open the package and decided to go with a better question. "Are you sure this is going to fit me?"

    With the lake of deals going around online, Mr. Woo caught this as one of his fish. "Yeah, it said one-size-fits-all."

    Who am I to not believe my husband? With 11.5 months on his past track record, he's still holding strong. Therefore, I tried it on for size and felt like a queen (literally, just without the crown). Take a look:

    Note: Those things hanging down the sides to my knees are actually the sleeves.

    Pooki, you're so sweet and thoughtful! It's not your fault that they didn't have people like me in mind when they labeled it with "all." I shall always be warm when I go for a swim in a sea of red fleece. :)

    Monday, December 7, 2009

    Blessed

    Though this post is directed toward one person or group, really, I thought I'd share the blessings of the Lord with everyone. :)

    After a grueling day of work, Mr. Woo and I drove home talking about the events that had occurred in each of our classrooms. It was nothing out of the ordinary, except that all days are extraordinary (insert heart), until we approached the front door to our home. Mr. Woo asked, "Did you order something for us?" I probably enjoy bargain-hunting much more than I should, but I couldn't recall anything but students name-calling and other shenanigans from earlier. We took the box inside and so our episode began.

    It was a big box, sent to "The Woos." The excitement filled the room as our tired countenances lit up with child-like glee.


    "Who would send this to us?"
    We each threw out some names that came to mind.


    "I heard this is one of the best commentary sets!"


    "Wow. Who would do this?"


    "How does it smell?"


    "There's no card or name anywhere?"
    Nope, just a message on the shipping sticker on the box.


    "I need to make room on my bookshelf!"
    Off Mr. Woo went to re-categorize his bookshelf.

    Ten minutes later, and a wardrobe change mid-way, Mr. Woo was almost ready to show me his new collection:


    And I get to benefit too! Thank you so much to the giver(s). We're thrilled to add more inked-up trees to our bookshelf (No, we're not very green when it comes to books. What can I say? We're traditional.) and thoroughly blessed by your kindness. It's truly amazing to see how the Lord blesses through His people, to His people - all for His glory. Mr. Woo is excited to jump into the deep end with The Expositor's Bible Commentary Set. You can read his thoughts here! I concur with his P.S. as my bookshelf is also at full capacity.

    Wednesday, December 2, 2009

    20 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

    There's exactly one month left until our one year anniversary! What an appropriate time to give a few reasons to why I love my dear, sweet husband. :) In no particular order...

    1. He married me despite the fact that I am a sinner.
    2. He does his best to provide for the family.
    3. He desires to lead the family (his lot is currently a population of 2).
    4. He loves building relationships with children and adults alike.
    5. He keeps a bat next to the bed as protection from all danger.
    6. He kills spiders for me (without the bat).
    7. He never leaves the toilet seat up.
    8. He opens doors for me.
    9. He carries heavy items for me.
    10. He is not a picky eater (with mushrooms and eggplant as exceptions).
    11. He buys me books (because they last longer than flowers).
    12. He loves me just the way I am despite my being told that my eczema will scare away any suitor and/or friends.
    13. He could have completed the Fun Run within a decent amount of time, but chose to run and walk (and piggyback to beat KevinN + NateS) with me.
    14. He was the only cheering for me from start to finish when I ran a half marathon (although the last 2 miles he was crawling next to me in the car...)
    15. He makes sure that I understand that it is not my living room that I am redecorating but ours.
    16. He inhales his food but sits there until I'm done eating because he remembers that I don't like to eat by myself.
    17. He will not let any argument go unsettled before turning in for the night (cf. Eph 4:26).
    18. His countenance changes even at the thought of shopping, but will take me anyway.
    19. When there is no tissue in sight and I ask for a paper towel on his way back from the bathroom so that I can blow my nose, he'll bring me a napkin saying, "I thought this would be softer for your nose."
    20. He is my best friend.

        I've been woo'd. :)[heart]