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)! :)

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?

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! :)