Before he left

Mr. Woo was gone on a field trip for almost a week. Before he left, we snagged a picture that brings a lot of things to mind.

What say you? Create a caption for the picture!

Hands

We had our staycation. We attended summer weddings. We had our first month of school. Mrs. Woo discovered how long she can spend in a vintage/antique store. We ate at Sushi House too often. Mr. Woo started working for Oh Snap on the side. Mrs. Woo began job-hunting in the writing field. Mr. Woo approved to Mrs. Woo taking Broadway Jazz dance classes. We said "see you later" to our 1.5-months-long guest. We rearranged the living room furniture. We moved some decor to different walls. We moved most of the furniture back to its original places. Mr. Woo starts his classes again this week. Whew, there is always something to do!

There is one thing I'd like to add to our ever-growing list... Husband, two left feet is irrelevant in reenacting this! Let's do it! Plus, I bought you a shirt that is close enough to his - what a great opportunity to wear it. :)

Summer Staycation

Well, the summer sun that hardly came out is officially retiring, by my count, tomorrow - the first day back at school. I thought it'd be appropriate to compile a brief montage of our Hawaii-didn't-work-out-but-let's-make-the-most-of-this "staycation." We went to fairly local whereabouts and spent the time creating memories, which, for us, is what it's all about anyway.


Phase I - Summer School

 Think: Kids, Breakfast, Two weeks of math/reading.

Phase II - 18-Month Anniversary

Think: Food (of course), Ducks, No couple picture! O_O

Phase III - 17-Mile Drive

Think: Cameras galore, Beautiful Scenery, Family

Phase IV - Alameda County Fair

Think: Homegroup, Entertainment, Food 

Phase V - Monterey

Think: Bibs, Sea creatures, Monterey Bay Inn

Phase VI - SF Academy of Sciences (failed)

Think: 3.5-hr-wait Too long, Hot dog + Pretzel, Go home

Phase VII - Post-Wedding Chop

Think: Short, Donated, Happy

Phase VIII - Regeneration Camp (him) / Stay with Parents (her)

 Think: Solid preaching, Sitting next to J.Mac + eating his chips, Lecrae

Phase IX - Host Dinner / Party

Think: Crazy, Food, Fun

Phase X - Watch "The Music Man" (musical)

Think: Woodminster, J.Hong + Student's family, Unflattering pictures

There were also errands, job hunting, and in-service meetings towards the end. But those weren't as fun.


Mrs. Woo off to pick her first-day outfit, brush up on some teacher tips, and shower!


What was the highlight of your summer?

We've been featured!

Mr. Woo is currently typing away furiously as one of his assignments is due tonight for his Masters' program. Little does he know the news I'm about to share... (No, I'm not telling the world that I'm pregnant. Even if I were, Mr. Woo would definitely be the first to know.)

Pooki - SURPRISE! We've been featured! (I promise this is the only secret I've kept from you.) I just heard word that the magazine has been published and can be found at Borders. Now how to get my hands on one of these (and a couple more for the folks and in-laws!) because they're distributed only to the Sacramento-area... And the story gets better. Here's how I found out that it was finally on stands:

estera: my sister just called me to ask if a jane and cyrus got married in 2009
i said "yes...why???"
me: oh!!!
estera: and she said you guys are featured in sacramento wedding magazine
me: why???
estera: LOL
me: YIPPEE
estera: for destination wedings
me: eh?
estera: to bekreley
hahahah

That's too funny. I guess I do get to have a second "destination wedding" after all - at no charge, just a change in perspective. But, really, the economy must be worse than I thought if we're now considering a 2-hour drive to be a destination wedding. I'm not complaining though. We've been featured! That's one more thing to cross off my bucket list. :)

Happy 1 year 7 months and 3 days, Pooki! Love you lots! :)

While I search for a hardcopy, here's the link to see it online.WOO-hoo!

Still running strong?

Nope, not I. Today marks the 2-year anniversary since my first (and only thus far) marathon. I participated in the See Jane Run half-marathon (a whopping 13.1 miles!) the month I graduated from college as one of those I-should-try-everything-once things. In all honesty, the name lured me in. And the timing was wonderful as I had just moved to the area and was able to get a tour of the town while getting some serious exercise. Though I had much difficulty sitting and getting up for the following two weeks, it's one of the greatest feats I've accomplished.

The one I'd like to tackle next: Nike Women's Half/Full Marathon.

• Hurdle: 13.1 / 26.2 miles
• Temptation: Forget the firemen dressed in suits, I want the Tiffany's necklace!
• Fear: The city hills

It's too late for 2010, but perhaps after having a baby as a good motivation to lose the baby weight? And next time, I'll remind Mr. Woo that driving next to me when I have 2 grueling miles left is probably going to make me want to cry. An obnoxiously loud cheerleading squad with florescent posters will suffice. ;)


What's your next big feat?

2010 Girls' Night In

After a full week of being accompanied by my third graders, I was able to spend a recent Friday evening with some of the lovely 2010 ladies to catch up, celebrate the end of finals, and rejoice in the Lord's faithful after the end of one season in life. What I learned: I'm getting old!

We ate some snacks, brought out the nail polish, and delighted in conversations while waiting for the last batch to finish with finals and other errands. Later, we popped in and projected a DVD (I knew our white walls would come in handy some day!) and half-way was about when my brain started shutting down. I wanted to stay awake be alertly join the girl talk, but the end of the week is not the time when my brain is on full-functioning mode.

Nevertheless, it was a pleasure having them over for a "Girls' Night In." (No worries, Mr. Woo jammed with a couple of brothers at church and slept at Nolie's place.) I chose navy, for the night time, and pink, for girlishness. The tablescape started with a baby blue soft blanket and brown/blue-striped pillow. Each place setting had a navy blue square plate. On top was a blue pillow "party favor" containing a nail polish and mint teabags - pillow mints(!), get it? :D

Covering the dessert plates and part of the pillows were white napkins with pink florals - a bed set on top of a bed tablescape (I was really liking this plan).

The goodies in the center included: pink rose-shaped cupcakes, strawberry wafers, pink lemonade, and pink teddy bear lollipops.




And keeping us company in the living room was a bunch of pink carnations in a mason jar, finished with a satin pink ribbon tied to the mouth of the jar.

I wanted more navy and less of a pink-overload, so I added a banner on the wall above the table. Each letter hung from a yellow star.

The next morning, I sent each girl off with her own goody bag. The blue pillows, a pink bear lollipop (both mentioned above), an unpopped bag of kettle corn, and a bag of Oatmeal Squares cereal with a card I made went inside.












Some time later, I found my signage was giving new meaning (source to be kept anonymous):

 2010  IS  IGHT   (hahahaha)

Teachers Appreciat[ed] at Borders

We're back from attending what was called the Educators Appreciation Reception at Borders. Aside from the skeptical looks (and comments) we received at the small table in an obscure location upstairs, we also took home FREE coffee beans as well as other goodies! We entered ourselves in the raffle drawings, one for ourselves and one for our school, for some prizes. This is definitely a time when our "one-ness" does not apply.

The second name drawn out of the fishbowl was me! Yippee! I won a loot of goodies which included a Paperchase spiral notebook, a set of pens, and a Burt's Bees gift pack, all wrapped elegantly in the plastic-white Borders unrecycled bag:

Looks like I'm officially a Woo clan member. :)

But of course that didn't stop this Asian woman (aka ahjumah) from grabbing some other freebies on my way out. Don't worry, I left some for other educators that were to come later (I'm Asian-American). Though I am regretting the fact that I didn't grab a gigantic heart shaped cookie, too...

Oh, right, the discount. All educators get 30% off most items in stores from March 19-27. These do not have to be for professional use, unlike the Classroom Discount Card.

Are YOU the next Poker Champ?

The night that Jonny has been waiting for...

he will have to still wait for as the Woos have been quite the busy bees around here. But it's about time for a break, isn't it? Pooki deserves it after what the TPAs are putting him through.

In good timing, Mr. Woo will be gone to Shepherds Conference later this week (he's super excited about it, having asked admin for these days off - back in October), which means - paarTAAAY! (teenage flashback, anyone?) Just kidding, kind of... As I will be very lonely, Mr. Woo has consented to letting me host our final Poker Night all by my lonesome before our Championship game!

Here we go:

You're invited!

Who: The first 5 people to sign up!
What: To our (somewhat) monthly PN
When: Wednesday, March 2 @ 7pm
Where: The Woo Residence
Why: For some "all in" action

Entrance Fee: Free*
Rides: Not provided

*Sorry, dinner not provided this time around. Our fridge is going hungry since half of the family will be gone for 4 nights. I'll make it up to you at Championship.

The Woo Society's Hall of Fame:

1. Mrs. Woo
2. (J)onny/Mrs. Woo
3. Freddy
4. Mr. Woo
5. Tadamus
6. ???
Champion: ???

Anticipation!

--

UPDATE: Poker Night #6 will be held off-site so that Mrs. Woo doesn't have to eat by herself. :) Thanks, Fred + gang!

It's raining, it's pouring...

Courtesy of my students + Rainy day (indoors) recess:

Oh, and insert 'haHAhahaHaHaAHahah' after each one...

What did the leopard say after it ate its owner? 
That hit the spot

What did the pig say when the farmer picked him up by the tail? 
That's the end of me.

What animal should you not take tests with?
A Cheetah

Seagulls are called seagulls because they fly over the sea. If they flew over the bay what would they be called? 
Bagels

What kind of side dies every second? 
Suicide

Student #1: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Student #2: Oh, I know! The rooster was on vacation.
Student #3: ...No, the duck was on vacation.

I need air, but I'm allergic to water. What am I? 
Fire

There were 3 men on a boat. They were trying to catch a fish. A police boat saw them and crahsed into their boat. Two men got their hair wet; one did not. Why? 
He was bald.  (Initially, I needed clarification that it was three men and not people one because I thought one might have been a woman.)

Student: Mrs. Woo! How do you spell my last name? :D
Mrs. Woo: Your last name?
Student nods
Mrs. Woo: Y-o-u-r, space, l-a-s-t, space, n-a-m-e

 I've been through the 3rd grade, kiddos...

What was/is your favorite elementary school joke? :)

Whistle While You Work

I don't know about you, but I had a rough day at work today. Well, I suppose it wasn't so bad compared to last Friday when a teacher came up to me to ask if so-and-so, who did something terribly wrong, was in my class... at each recess... all different teachers. On top of that we had Girl A in my class tell Girl B's sister to steal something from her Girl B's backpack to give to Girl A so that she can give it to Girl C in the other 3rd grade class to give to Girl D, also in the other class, so that when Girl B asks Girl A if she took it she can say, "No, Girl D stole it." Smart, but so wicked. (You can download the image as a wallpaper here)

Yeah, today I just had a lengthy list of names on the board and sent 2 students out of the classroom to "talk all [they] want out there." And Mr. Woo brought me a heaping plate of lunch. :) Even one of my students commented, "Mr. Woo must really love you to bring you that much food!"

But for those of you who work in an office and don't get enough spice at work (not all of us get to have Nurf Wars), I stumbled across some tips to make work more "fun." I don't endorse all of the following, but let me know how it goes if you try any out!

ONE-POINT DARES
1) Run one lap around the office at top speed.
2) Ignore the first five people who say "good morning" to you.
3) Phone someone in the office you barely know, leave your name and say, "Just called to say I can't talk right now. Bye."
4) To signal the end of a conversation, clamp your hands over your ears and grimace.
5) Leave your zipper open for one hour. If anyone points it out, say, "Sorry, I really prefer it this way."
6) Walk sideways to the photocopier.
7) While riding in an elevator, gasp dramatically every time the doors open.

THREE-POINT DARES
1) Say to your boss, "I like your style" and shoot him with double-barreled fingers.
2) Babble incoherently at a fellow employee then ask, "Did you get all that, I don't want to have to repeat it."
3) Page yourself over the intercom. (Do not disguise your voice).
4) Kneel in front of the water cooler and drink directly from the nozzle (there must be a 'non-player' within sight).
5) Shout random numbers while someone is counting.

FIVE POINT DARES
1) At the end of a meeting, suggest that, for once, it would be nice to conclude with the singing of the national anthem (5 extra points if you actually launch into it yourself).
2) Walk into a very busy person's office and while they watch you with growing irritation, turn the light switch on/off 10 times.
3) For an hour, refer to everyone you speak to as "Bob."
4) Announce to everyone in a meeting that you "really have to go do a number two."
5) After every sentence, say 'Mon' in a really bad Jamaican accent. As in "The report's on your desk, Mon." Keep this up for 1 hour.
6) While an office mate is out, move their chair into the elevator.
7) In a meeting or crowded situation, slap your forehead repeatedly and mutter, "Shut up, all of you just shut up!"
8) At lunchtime, get down on your knees and announce, "As God as my witness, I'll never go hungry again."
9) In a colleague's DAY PLANNER, write in the 10am slot: "See how I look in tights." (5 Extra points if it is a male, 5 more if he is your boss.)
10) Carry your keyboard over to your colleague and ask, "You wanna trade?"
11) Repeat the following conversation 10 times to the same person: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
12) Come to work in army fatigues and when asked why, say, "I can't talk about it."
13) Posing as a maitre d', call a colleague and tell him he's won a lunch for four at a local restaurant. Let him go.
14) Speak with an accent (French, German, Porky Pig, etc.) during a very important conference call.
15) Find the vacuum and start vacuuming around your desk.
16) Hang a two-foot long piece of toilet roll from the back of your pants and act genuinely surprised when someone points it out.
17) Present meeting attendees with a cup of coffee and biscuits, smashing each biscuit with your fist.
18) During the course of a meeting, slowly edge your chair towards the door.
19) Arrange toy figures on the table to represent each meeting attendee, move them according to the movements of their real-life counterparts.

A Dozen More Ways to Shake Things Up
1) At lunchtime, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2) Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
3) Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4) Put your waste basket on your desk and label it "IN".
5) Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over his or her caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6) Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
7) Don't use any punctuation
8) Use, too...much; punctuation!
9) As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10) Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.
11) Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.
12) Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, "Rock Hard."

You're going to sound/look so crazy...

4Bucks' Love Project

Starbucks (aka 4Bucks because that's how much it costs for coffee) is currently holding a Love Project. If you make a $15 purchase, you will be gifted with the Starbucks Red Love CD featuring groups like Dave Matthews, U2, and more.  For each CD, $1 will be donated to help fight AIDS in Africa.

I moseyed on over to the gallery and got lured into making/drawing a picture myself (those sketching sound effects worked, Starbucks!). It was nice to draw a few hearts and write LOVE nice and pretty, but that's not how I view love. So I drew a cross and added the words patient and kind, but that's about all I could fit. I knew this wouldn't make sense to an unbeliever so I added 1 Cor. 13:4-7. Of course it didn't fit underneath my pretty swirls so I had to break it up. I wish I could show you this meaningful design but 4Bucks ripped me off again! They didn't save it! :(

After hearing the pen-on-paper sound effects some more, I created another drawing. This time I saved it myself. Good thing too, because the submit button got "stuck." Being computer illiterate, I didn't know what was wrong and called it a day. Here's my Mona Lisa:

Up close:

What is your interpretation of it? :)