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!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for...

 ...a Banana Split Party!!!

July was National Ice Cream month (who determines these?), and so we want to celebrate with a party. Our schedule didn't allow for this to happen before the month was over, so we're going to extend the celebration for another week. And what's a night of banana splits without some rounds of Bananagrams? So...

You're invited!

Who: Up to 14 people who sign up!
(We can get 2 games going at the same time)
What: Bananagrams, banana splits, and fun

When: Monday, August 9 @ 7:30pm
Where: The Woo Residence
Why: For some "split! dump! banana!" action

Entrance Fee: Banana split ingredient(s)
Rides: Not provided

If you can make it, please indicate the item you will be bringing below so that we do not have too much of one ingredient. Hope to see you here for some dessert and games! :)

Note: Photo courtesy of Amazon

His & Hers post-wedding chop (PWC)

Today is finally the day that I took action on the "obligatory" PWC. I haven't cut my hair since before the wedding, which brings it to about 2 years that I've gone without chopping. I suppose it's not that impressive since I only get a cut in once a year or so... But with a co-worker of mine going through cancer, I decided I wanted to donate these locks to an organization that can better use it to make wigs rather than getting it swept up into the dump. I did some research and found the ever-popular Locks of Love rumored to be a bit shady so I'm currently looking into either Wigs for Kids or Pantene Beautiful Lengths. (They're also using hair/fur/wool to help the oil spill!)

First up, Mr. Woo:

The man's been wanting to buzz his hair for a long time. Personally, I think it makes him look like a Boyscout about to take his knapsack and go for a hike. But if it makes him happy, okay. (Sorry, no pictures of the process. I was reading a magazine...)


Then it was my turn:

I went to Tomo's and ran into a stinky long line without an appointment. Fortunately, Lisa was free at that time, so I didn't have to wait another minute. Here we go:

Pocahontas browsing through a magazine.

Pocahontas mid-cut.

Pocahontas hit with initial shock.

Pocahontas watching Lisa work her magic.

Feeling 5lbs lighter and Pocahontas no longer.

Lisa was pleasant to work with. I told her I was donating my tail and that my PWC was long overdue. After the 14 inches or so were cut off, I asked Husband to find the ziplock bag I had brought so we could put the (kind of yucky-looking) hair in there. Then I was off to shampooing with another lady. Back to Lisa and the snipping and layering continued. We chatted about work and kids (daughters for her, students for me). I voiced my concern that my bangs would be to "piecey" with gaps between them so she happily thickened them. I walked out $25 poorer and with exactly what I asked for. When my hair is longer I usually find a $10 cut somewhere that can layer a bit, but since this was a risky length, with bangs (and the fact that I cut my hair about once a year), I thought it was worth it. Plus, I really like it. :)

Here we are as freshly groomed Mr & Mrs:

Note: Mr. Woo was not harmed in the making of this cut. Though we anticipated some trauma, he held up strong and braved through my transformation. He is currently deciding if he likes it or not.

What'd ya think? :D

Winners Announced: 30-Day Challenge

We wrapped up our contest a while back, and we have our winners! I've kept you waiting long enough, so let's get right to it.

Segment one winner: 

 HANNAH W.!!! (on the right)

Our dear sister had her debut here and made speedy plans to be the first person to complete 5 of the 30 challenges.

Hello!
On Tuesday, 5/11 - I hugged Corrie Park at Study Hall.
On Wednesday, 5/12 - I took pictures with brothers and sisters I adore at the Campanile.
On Friday, 5/14 - I told you and my class sisters that I love you guys!
On Saturday, 5/15 - David and I went on a special date to SF for our 2 years' anniversary.
On Sunday, 5/16 - I called my mommy.

Andd I've been praying for Kathy getting married and you and your Mister in some of my prayers in the last week. DOES THIS MEAN I WIN??????? 

I don't have a diamond ring for her, but Hannah's prize package includes: one of my favorite "girl books," Feminine Appeal by Caroline Mahaney, a fun tank top for the summer, and a rich toffee chocolate bar to share with her sweetie. Congrats, Hannah!


Segment two winner: 

 CARRIE S.!!! 

You won't believe (well, most of you will) how much I was "awww"ing over her submission of the most pictures/videos. This cutie pie got to doing all of the following (that's right, y'all, a baby beat the crowd) with Mommy's help.

Day #17 - Hug a '10 brother (for the guys) or sister (for the gals)

- this one may not count since it was during senior banquet... 

Day #21 - Take a picture with someone you adore

Day #25 - Give a child a hug

we weren't able to take a picture of them hugging... but they did that day.. =)
Day #8 - Go on a "date" with someone dear to you- do play dates count?? =D

sorry it's so blurry.. the one with nomi is at dragon rouge... the one with all the kids is at the park

Day #9 - Jump on the bed (but not for too long)

- the in action pic is blurry... so i added the other one after she finished jumping..

Day #10 - Eat a salad

again, the "in action" pic is blurry... so i added the other one

Day #2 - Call/visit your parents

she's calling daddy.. =)
Day #4 - Make someone laugh- she just grabbed the sunglasses and wore them.. in the middle of eating!  of course, i started laughing.

Day #12 - Learn something new

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkYAQFVtfKo (eating by herself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHBg_LAltUo (some new animal sounds)

Whew! Little Carrie's prize package includes: Spot's Little Book of Fun: At the Beach, pink leggings, and a little ducky friend. Congrats, Carrie (and Narae)!

Honorable mentions:

• Mr. J. Hong - Mr. Hong finished 5 of the challenges, I believe starting with Sushi House, just one day after Hannah's submission.
• Kevin - Nish showed great ambition in wanting to achieve all 30 challenges. I commend him for setting his goal high, and starting off with 8 out of the 30. Only 22 more to go...

Oh, what fun! I'm liking these contests (and subsequently shopping for prizes!). Though the contest is closed please consider some of the challenges, such as praying for others and finding ways we can serve others (#30) in the body. In the meantime, I'll work on scheduling contests to better fit my teaching schedule so that prizes will be given sooner. Thanks for your patience! :)

A friendly reminder to all those who voted in Ice Breaker Contest, please pick up your prize as well!

18-mos and counting

By golly, it's been a whole year and a half already! Time is put into perspective when I see some of our little tykes, who were born around the time that we married, running around the church now. That's kind of like our relationship, I suppose. We've learned to crawl and walk and now we're learning to run with all the changes thrown our way.

So how did we celebrate?

• I started off with Starbucks and completed my last day in my summer school commitment; Mr. Woo graciously chauffeuring me.

• For dinner, we went casually to La Piñata, using a gift card Mr. Woo received the last week of school (they must know how much he likes eating).

• We redefined "You can't have your cake and eat it too" by forgetting to eat our cake. This happened for our one-year too, leaving half of it still in the freezer... Phooey. (The other half was eaten on our one-month.) 

• Then, we revisted the lake(?) where we took our engagement pictures back in 2008. Ah, the memories of the bridge, the autumn leaves, the duckies...

• And we concluded the evening with some lovely talk of how Mr. Woo bearing one hour of shopping should (somehow) equal one hour of us watching anime together. o_O

♡  ♡  ♡

Confession of a wife: Being married for a year and a half now (and, Lord willing, many more years to come!) there are times when I look over at him and have no idea what the man is thinking:

But I'm learning (slower than I'd like) to embrace this new role and to just joyfully submit to his leading:

Egg-cellent surprise

Yesterday I had a student (going into 3rd grade in the fall) begin sharing about how he cooks breakfast. I, being a cynic, began to play off this talk and requested such a meal the next day. Many children have a tendency to show off. I (wrongly) assumed that this was one of those cases where the student was stretching the truth to boast about something in front of their class - trust me, it happens quite often. My speedy 8-second monologue went something like this:

Mrs. Woo: Oh, so you cook, now do you? Well, I like eggs! Mr. Tommy [TA for summer], how do you like your eggs? ... Okay, he likes his sunny side up. I like scrambled. Alright, breakfast tomorrow morning!

From now on, I'm going to be just a little bit more trusting of my students when they make bold statements about their abilities. Here's why:

The kid opens the door before I've done so myself. I'm about to tell his father that I usually don't do that for another 10 minutes when I see him holding 2 plates wrapped in foil. He puts them down on my front table and gives each one a pat. "This one's sunny side up, and this one's scrambled."

I was super surprised and laughed for a good 5 minutes because I couldn't believe that he actually made us breakfast. His dad even mentioned that he woke up early to make everything. Cute! Even the napkin was neatly and purposely folded, holding a plastic fork. Later I found a sausage in there too. I should have told him that Mr. Woo really likes breakfast foods and a lot of it...

The only problem? The kid kept asking me if I had eaten it yet. "No, I've been teaching your class all morning. I will definitely eat it though." My answer satisfied him for a few moments, but then he continued to ask me every 15 minutes. It wasn't until after recess that I could tell him that, yes, it was delicious and that he did a great job in not dropping any shells in there. (I was very careful with the first couple of bites.)

Smart, charming, and already cooking? Watch out America. I may have found a future Iron Chef!

Ice Breaker Contest Prizes

Back in prehistoric times, Mr. Woo won a brand-spankin' new (with engraving!) Bible. Some of you helped him get there.

Awww, he looks so happy! Wait... Husband, are you smelling this new Bible???

Yes, he definitely has his nose in the book (literally).

But what's in it for you, right? ;) This is what I wrote to our voters, and I quote:

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO VOTED

You are receiving this e-mail because you have voted in the Ice Breaker Contest!

Mr. Woo has chosen to receive a copy of the ESV Bible. As a token of appreciation to the participants, we would like to present to you your very own buttery new copy of the ESV Bible filled with weighty content. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your prize. The holiday season is quite the busy one for this newlywed couple.

Thank you.

If you don't care to hear my excuses, skip to the next section. Otherwise, proceed. Yes, the holidays were a busy time of the year for the Woos. I began planning and making the first part of your prizes, but there were a couple of hiccups along the road. (1) Not all of what I ordered came the way it should have. I didn't want to go through the hassle of returning, reordering, etc. so the e-mailing/waiting ate up some time. (2) I left some supplies at school, and kept forgetting to bring it home. That's my bad. If it makes you feel better, I hardly bring home any work from school as well. (Don't worry, I do my work at school.)

So now I'm pleased to present to you your prize: your very own ESV Bible! Though the outer appearance is different from the one that Mr. Woo won... the inside is different as well. But yours comes practical in another way.

It has an eraser and a pencil sharpener! Pretty nifty, eh?

On a first come, first serve basis please come find me at church to claim your Bible. If you're out of the area and would like me to pass yours along to someone else to give to you, just shoot me an e-mail. Happy sharpening (pun intended)! :)