Back at CAL's Greek Theatre

Mr. Woo and I were back at the Greek Theatre, a second time since graduating (we also saw Jason Mraz there and it was awesome!). This time around it was for our dear brother Nolie's graduation.

My number one goal was to use the loudest pots and pans that I own. After failing my number one goal, my new number one goal was to make sure Brother looked the part by getting him a/n (overpriced-but-what-can-you-do-since-you-don't-have-the-time-nor-resources-to-make-it-yourself) lei. Mission accomplished.

He had a great support team: 

I was more excited than he (must have been those finals he was still studying for):

Mr. Woo and I hooted and hollered for our dear c/o 2010 MCB grads, fully aware that we had to teach again the next day, but this day doesn't come around too many days. I made sure everyone around me knew that I was a proud sister. :)

We took pictures:

We were in pictures:

By the way, we did follow the blue hats to find everyone:

And there were more pictures:

 

They're serious, people (cf. Senior Banquet):

Of course, the goofballs couldn't resist:

Kernan sought out a another graduate whose facial features resembled Nolan's. Personally, I think the resemblance was uncanny when the dude had his sunglasses on, but not so much once he took them off:

Whew! What a day. To top it off we took the parents to Sushi House after we dropped off a burger to Nolan who was studying for his next final in a couple of hours (I know, how brutal is that? Everyone else is done and playing!). Next time, Brother!

Congrats, Nolan! We're so proud of you! :) :)

(Obligatory Family Picture: )

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)

30-Day Challenge: Part V

We're at the last leg of the challenge! It's been fun hearing about some of your excitement in wanting to take all in both categories. We'll definitely need to do this again in the future - preferably not around finals time, I hear ya. In case you're just joining us: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.

Note: Deadline for picture upload/submission is 5 DAYS from today on 5/23. Winners will be posted soon after!


Day #26 - Go fellowship with your Homegroup
I love our Homegroup. I also thoroughly enjoy our lively discussions about various topics and leave encouraged by the brethren. If you're not part of one, you're missing out. If you're looking for one, come check out ours!

Day #27 - Have someone tie your shoelaces for you
Some of my Homegroup-ers were at Trader Joe's when I bumped into another student of mine (they're every where! cf. Day #25) and his mom. After he told me everything he did for his mom for Mother's Day, he had to retie his spankin-white, new shoelaces. He was so cute in announcing, er... showing me his new shoes.


Day #28 - Study at Borders
You'll find many of us lounging/reading/studying/disrupting/chilling at Borders. Due to incidents like Day #27, Mr. Woo will no longer be found wearing his PJs outside of the home. He once saw a student there and had to avoid contact at all costs. And if you know how much he loves our students, you know how big that is for him.


Day #29 - Finish reading a book from your bookshelf
Sometimes I feel like a "tree hog" but the teacher in me really likes collecting books. But I have to be the first to admit that I've only read about half of them. They've become reference books on the shelf. In college I would always have a book in my bag to read while waiting for class to start (Band/guard geeks know that "To be early is to be on time is to be late is to be dead!") Since then, I've either got papers and red pen in hand while I wait, or I'm living out the "teacher blessing/curse" of constantly thinking, 'How can I use [whatever I see/hear/think] into my lesson plan...' I can't wait until summer vacation to take them off the shelf and tackle them one by one!


Day #30 - You decide on this one...
It's been busy, and I'm told that life only gets busier. But in the midst of school, work, family, etc. a question I'd like to pose is: How are you serving and/or carrying out your commitment you made to your church family? As members you and I both made a commitment to the church body (and to God) that we would love with Christ-like love, that we want to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. It doesn't have to be an "official committee under the leadership of so-and-so and headship of Pastor John". But I do wonder if everyone stepped up to their familial responsibilities, out of love and not mere obligation, would we have so many brothers with a lot on their plate? More than that, I desire for us to not waste our time on earth but to labor in love and expend ourselves to high callings - for the Lord's glory, not our own. So I ask again - How are you loving God's people today?

30-Day Challenge: Part IV

From what I hear there's some fierce (but friendly) competition going on. I can't wait to post our two winners - one for the first to do any 5, and another for sending in the most pictures! (See Part I, Part II, and Part III.) Time's a-ticking so I'm posting 10 today rather than 5. Ready... set... GO! 


Day #16 - Run for at least 16 minutes
Our 15th month of marriage has come and gone; we are now in our 16th month! Time sure flies, doesn't it? Just over a year ago, we had these table numbers (I'll show you 15 and 16 since we're commemorating) sitting atop our reception tables in the Fellowship Hall at church:

Day #17 - Hug a '10 brother (for the guys) or sister (for the gals)
This year's Senior Banquet was one of my favorites. Not only is this class very special to me, but the presentations were wonderful (I knew we'd eventually have a Wicked re-make!) and the Junior class did a great job coordinating the event. I can't believe c/o 2010 are done with college! It was just yesterday that I served this class their freshman and sophomore years!!!


Day #18 - Put a ring on it
Lots of weddings coming up this summer and I'm anticipating lots of engagements too. Though we're all to be content and happy with our bling, some of us need an upgrade (yes, that would be the balloon string wrapped around Hannah's finger):

Day #19 - Pray for engaged couples / married couples / families
She's one of my nearest and dearest, and I'm super excited about her wedding. Duum, duum, da, duuum... God's design for marriage and families is a beautiful one, but if we try to do it on our own we're going to fail miserably. Charles Spurgeon said, "No man can do a truer kindness in this world but to pray for me."


Day #20 - Google Video Chat with someone
Mr. Woo and I didn't really know how closer Kerns was to Nolie - until we went to the county fair together. Then we saw more of with some Google video chatting. Since then, Kernan has been a welcomed addition to our family.


Day #21 - Take a picture with someone you adore
It was only right that we take a "family picture" together. We've long adopted Kernan:

But, wait, is that 5 heads that I count? Oh yes, in the back. How could we leave out the loyal family puppy, Edward? He happily greets us whenever we see him and is always bounding with energy. (He also brings out the "crazy" in me - I think it's the energy.)


Day #22 - Tell someone you love them
I love these guys:

Day #23 - Practically serve someone in a manner that makes them feel loved
It's easy for us to show love in ways that we feel loved. For example, one may like to use words to write encouraging notes to others. While that is kind and loving, the recipient may be more uplifted with a batch of their favorite cookies that you made note of and later baked for them.

(I've seen Mr. Woo make lots of faces but never the one on the left!) Y'all know we do like Hedder...


Day #24 - Go to a street/county/quilting/etc. fair
We were excited to see the roads blocked off  (for yummy food, oh yes) and made a detour to find parking. Strolling up the street we were lured with the smell of otherwise unwelcome pungent deep fried oil. It was an easy and quick decision to munch on the crab garlic fries (I know!) and lime calamari, both of which we highly recommend. We declined the buttered yellow corn on the cob, husk and all, because it's hard to justify paying $5 for it when you can get 5 for $5 on sale or 10 for $5 on a great sale. The live band played some popular Tina Turner and more flashbacks to rally a lively crowd. There Mr. Woo spotted someone eating a plate of Chinese food and was inspired. Round 2: Chinese for him, Greek gyro for me. Personally, I couldn't down the pork but the egg roll, fried rice, and chow mein was good. The chicken gyro was ginormous and had too much meat, if there is such a thing. I wanted the super-sized bag of kettle corn, but Mr. Woo wisely refused.


Day #25 - Give a child a hug
At the fair, we ran into one of my current students (eating the $5 corn on the cob) and a former summer school student. We actually see quite a few of our students as we run errands. The first time it happened, Mr. Woo let go of my hand. :(  But I love the students. (And he'll hold my hand again once they're out of sight.)

Just one more installment left in our 30-day challenge. Keep watch! :)

30-Day Challenge: Part III

It's the third segment of our contest to give out prizes! (Here's Part I and Part II.) We're just about half-way in our posts of challenges. Here are some more!


Day #11 - Make a "hot foods" breakfast (none of that sugar-high cereal stuff)
On check-out morning, we made our way to the cafe for a fantastic continental breakfast. I always thought that term was code for "buffet," but Mr. Woo kindly informed me that it was usually meant as a pasty-filled meal, not so much the hot food items we were greeted with. By the time we were finished, it looked like three people had eaten at our table, which I felt a little self-conscious about seeing that most of the people there were wearing gym/workout clothes. :(


Day #12 - Learn something new
Never did I once think that by being a teacher I would have to learn how to riverdance. For International Day the third grade classes were assigned the country of Ireland. They were to open the morning's line up of presentations, so we had them dance on in from the back. It was cute seeing them hopping to and fro. Being nominated to teach them how to riverdance in a couple weeks was a daunting task (we're not talking ballet nor jazz), but the Lord was gracious and I danced and taught. Who says YouTube can't be educational?

Day #13 - Pay half-price for an appetizer (because full-price is over-priced)
I feel like I had a week-long banquet for my birthday this year (cf. Days #3, 5, 7, 8), but to add a cherry on top, dear Nolie wanted to take us out to eat. Who are we to refuse? We decide on Skates on the Bay as none of us had dined on the waterfront before. The Happy Hour slashes appetizer prices in half (if you sit on the side near the bar), so we feasted on many of them. Thanks, Brother!

Day #14 - Do a Woo-Two(TM)
The Woo family enjoys eating. That' why we have our Woo-Twos(TM). A Woo-Two(TM) may be Panda Express + In-n-Out. It might also be Sushi House + McDonalds, as the we did with Nolie previously. It helps when the restaurants are close in proximately (read: walking distance). The venture with Nolie was not pre-planned, however. We were just eager to eat and impatient in waiting for our to-go order (must have been the Lion King Roll holding it up).

Day #15 - Go to a concert
With my third graders and Mr. Woo's middle schoolers, we're often invited to many extracurricular games, concerts and/or shows. It's fun to see them out of uniform and applying aspects of what we teach them in their "real world" lives (fruit of our labor).


We're off for now, but we'll be back with more of the challenge and what we've been up to! How are we doing on the 5 tasks? :)

30-Day Challenge: Part II

We're continuing our 30-Day Challenge. (Go here for Part I.) To clarify the contest a bit, there are TWO prizes and TWO divisions to it.
 

One - Complete 5 of the 30 challenges. No more than 1 challenge per day (so it should take you at least 5 days to do). First person to reach any 5 wins a prize!

Two - Take pictures of yourself/yourselves completing any of the challenges. No more than 2 pictures may be submitted per activity (so if you do this for each day, you will have a total max of 30 pictures sent). The person to send the most (out of the 30 possible) also wins a prize!


Day #6 - Drop your business card in a raffle drawing
At our school we're given a box of business cards after being hired. I'm able to hand some out to parents but have been left with plenty. Now I keep a small stack in my wallet so that anytime I spot a raffle drawing at a restaurant/store, I'll drop one in and encourage Mr. Woo to do the same to double our chances. Since marrying Mr. Woo, who won't admit it but is very good at winning these drawings, a few winnings have been rubbing onto me too. Recently, I won $100 worth of Jamba Juice for the school. I ordered smoothies (all split into two cups for the little bodies) for my students and a lot of yummy tea for the staff members.


Day #7 - Bake cupcakes for somebody
I was outside taking pictures of my kids enjoying their Jamba Juice (see Day #5) when all the third graders started singing "Happy Birthday." I thought it was for a student in the other class but they sang it for me! My co-worker (whom I'm very fond of) had baked cupcakes for the classes in celebration. How sweet of her! After our kids had plenty of sugar, we sent them off to their Mandarin class.

Day #8 - Go on a "date" with someone dear to you
My birthday fell on a Friday this year, so Mr. Woo had me pack a bag for an overnight trip. Friday afternoon I was surprised to a "bouj, bouj" hotel in the heart of Santana Row. After the front desk clerk told us that our room was not above the (very loud at night) pub, we went down to ask again. This time we were upgraded to another room on the floor above (on the quieter side). From the balcony I could the rows of stores/boutiques and were in line with the glimmering lights which hung from the palm trees below.


Day #9 - Jump on the bed (but not for too long)
Something about my excitement and a huge bed reminded me of the Glee episode "Mattress."
My recreation of it:

My failure:

Day #10 - Eat a salad

One food I can't live without is salad. The fresh and crisp lettuce and/or spinach with the hearty texture of garbanzo and pinto beans. The tanginess in the bell peppers, the sweetness in the corn, cancer-fighting broccoli, and vitamin-rich fruit. Mix it with some tri-tip and you've gone to Pluto's and back - the restaurant, that is. Mr. Woo and I favor this place so much that we ate it for two of our three meals during our stay. I would sign a petition to bring one to our neighborhood. (Try the "Garlic Potato Rings," aka garlic fries, too!)

We'll be back with more of our 30-Day Challenge. Stay tuned! :)

30-Day Challenge: Part I

It's been a time of hibernation in my cave as we teachers are now in the final stretch of this school year (eek!). To make up for lost time, allow me to bring you a glimpse of what I've been up to. To make it more interesting, let's make this a CONTEST!

Out of the 30 items I post, the first person to complete 5 of them will get a prize!

I'm giving out more prizes at school so why not here? Feel free to e-mail pictures of yourself in action with each task. The participant with the highest number of pictures submitted will also get a prize.

That's TWO chances to win!

The fine print - Upon completion, you must comment below indicating your triumph. (1) You must complete 5 of the challenges, in any order, honesty policy. Challenges done on or after today's date will be validated, no prior dates. Limit 1 activity per any given day. For those working in teams, one person may not do all the work. OR (2) No more than two pictures may be submitted per activity. Along with the pictures, please indicate if you would not like your images published on the blog. There will be no transferring of "points" or cheating. Failure to comply will disqualify such participants.


Day #1 - Complete a jigsaw puzzle
Mr. Woo and I finally finished our penguin family puzzle! Of course, the 1000-piece artwork would not be in the condition that it is today without the help of our dear friends. You see, we don't have many magazines for people to read while they wait (for whatever reason) at our home. Instead, we've had a puzzle on top of our coffee table for guests to contribute to. What started as a rainy day activity became a collaboration between family/friends. Thank you to all those who left a piece of their visit! :)


Day #2 - Call/visit your parents
My parents came up for a brief visit to drop off a few things. It's funny how my mom is gradually making more and more food for us. When I first started college she didn't much of, "what should I make you the next time you come home?" but now she asks frequently. It's a strange feeling when I try to put myself in their shoes and attempt to think the way they do about my being out of college, living out of their house, being married. But I do actually get "homesick" at times and have the urge to go and lie on their couch, taking in the quiet sounds. We try to talk at least once a week, but there's nothing like just being in the presence of loved ones (as is the same with our heavenly Father).


Day #3 - Go eat at Sushi House

As a pre-birthday celebration, Mr. Woo and I went to eat at Sushi House. We ordered the A's Roll, Island Roll, and Hwae Dup Bap (and out came miso soup and salad before it). That combo was slightly different from our usual trio but nevertheless delicious. The best part of the meal? When we asked for the check, we were told that it was already taken care of. Happy birthday to us.


Day #4 - Make someone laugh (I understand that humor is subjective, but just try.)
While we were eating our sushi dinner (see Day #2), our dear friend Mr. H texted us to let us know that he would not be able to join us. These were his exact words:

I doubt he did it intentionally, but if laughter is the best medicine we need more Hs around.



Day #5 - Wake up an hour earlier to do something productive

Mr. Woo totally surprised me with an early morning birthday breakfast with co-workers this year saying, "It's the only way I could surprise you." (True. Last year's "surprise" was well-planned but poorly executed.) Unless I'm going on a trip somewhere, I'm usually not up at 6 A.M. but Mr. Woo insisted that we go on an extra date. Seeing that our Date Nights have been sporadic, I rolled out of bed to happily, but sleepily, oblige. I didn't suspect a thing until I saw a co-worker come out of his car in the parking lot. "Hey, look! It's (name). What's he.... ohhhhhhhhh" (wide awake by this point). Thank you to everybody who made the morning extra special! (If he missed you on the invite list, please don't be offended! I do most of the administrative work in our household, so he was reaching out of his comfort zone.)

Check back again for the second segment of the Challenge/contest! :)