Our family Christmas Card video

Merry Christmas video! If a picture is a thousand words, then this video is beyond!

Clips of family fun in the snow, of the major production I directed (specifically featuring the parts where my 2 kiddos had solos!), and some ballet and soccer times.

Enjoy!

My little gal singing Happy Birthday Jesus

She made the 500 person crowd tear up with her sweet rendition of this song -

She is planning on touring with her Uncle David by 10. She calls him about once every other month to remind him of this fact. scroll down to see my previous post with more clips on it of the show.

Best Christmas Present Ever!

A few clips from our amazing night

My sweet son is one of the Wise guys - the one in the full suit.

Santa and Jesus

So as a new teacher at a Christian School, I am so focused on "ensuring that learning objectives are being met" that I have to put my sense of humor on hold...but today, it finally happened!

And those 9th graders didn't get it!

Our 12th graders (well a few of them) came into my 9th grade class to announce that Freshmen can sign up to be "Sneaky Gnomes"...same thing as Secret Santa but they can't call it that...is what they told us.

(I couldn't help but laugh out loud at that.)

To which I said, "They can't talk about Jesus, and we can't talk about Santa..."

Seniors laughed. Freshman stared.

Bring on the snow

Grabbed this post from my favorite blogger - Bo Stern - she pastors at WestSide in Bend, Oregon. THis post was so well written I wanted to duplicate it here so you can read it:


Oh, Snow!
December 3, 2009 by bolovesjoe
I really like snow. I used to hate driving in it, but 15 years living in a mountain town necessitated a change in attitude. I employed a bit of the crazy-eyed if-I-perish-I-perish spirit and now it’s more of an adventure than a heart attack waiting to happen.
I’m not sure what it’s like where you live, but in my city, snow is money. Without snow, our economy – built primarily on tourism – is toast. So we embrace the falling flakes and we wrap ourselves in woolly scarves and thick gloves and – like a city filled with Snow Farmers – thank the Lord for a robust harvest.

My husband travels regularly to Orlando, Florida. Orlando’s economy depends on people like us getting sick of living where we live. It relies on our soul-deep need to sometimes enjoy a tan without goggle lines. They need us to need their sun (and let’s be honest, their giant Mouse) and we need them to need our snow.

This same concept works emotionally as well. One needs help and another needs to be needed. Most friendships in life are built on shared need. Most dating is done the same way. Often the magnet that initially pulls our hearts to other people is that they have something we feel we need…identity, funny jokes, romance, wisdom, money or one of a million other intangibles.
Marriage, however, can’t operate indefinitely on this system. Parenting doesn’t even last through the first week home from the hospital on this system. Real life and real commitment moves beyond the mad grab for what I need, when I need it. Real love sometimes means giving up what I need when I need it. And this concept runs against every grain of my self-focused little heart.

So I’m asking Jesus for a new level of loving that grows even when there’s a small chance of a good return on my investment. Do you see a theme in my life right now? Yep. The Holy Spirit is definitely challenging the way that I love. Even at Christmas, He’s challenging the way that I love and it seems like I could get it right on my own at Christmas, doesn’t it? Nope. I really need Him. I really want to be like Him. I really want to learn to love like Him.
Praying for snow,
Bo

How 120 kids, a news anchorman, dancing, singing, and the Bible relate

Countdown begins...and I am antsy, jittery, and full of nervous energy.

Dec 17th is the big day - 3 months of work all displayed in a 45 minute explosive night of 1sts. The Best Christmas Gift Ever - featuring a news anchorman covering the story of a group of students planning a birthday party for Jesus.

Firsts are intimidating - you never have walked that road before so it's all new, surprising, thrilling:

• 120 students all on one stage
• High energy choreography (with very little room to do it!)
• 20 actors and actresses making their acting debut
• 15 student soloists (sing into the mic!!! Don't move around! Sing out, I know your nervous, but sing like you are not!)
• Tech crew - learning music systems, lights and cues oh my!
  
• Singing multi-part songs
  

2 1/2 weeks left to finalize a million details. And I still have my daily Spanish 1, 2, and 3 classes to keep moving along.

Climbing a mountain...one move at a time

My friend over at http://www.diaryof1.com/ in pondering about Never giving up hit home. As I take on this monumental task of working full time, teaching 1st through 12th graders, being a mom, a wife, a follower of God, a friend, a sister and still trying to maintain ME I too have wanted to give up, throw the towel in and walk back into my past life of getting to stay home, live on my own schedule, and be free to come and go as I wished. I miss catching planes to locations all over the US to perform with my brother, David. I miss going for a run in the middle of the day along the river banks. I miss just being out and about.

But these times, these super hard times, are really cool too. It's in these times that I find myself learning, growing, and becoming faster then I ever did when life was not so rigorous.

I get to a spot in the climb and it appears at first, impossible. I stare. I ponder options. I stare some more. I ponder more. And finally, I see a possible place to put a left foot that just might allow me to pull myself up and be in a whole new place on the rock...I try it, it's working....I slip...back to the begininning....

Stare....ponder....plan....Try again....

I slip again....

Stare...ponder...plan....Try AGAIN!

It's working! And I get my right leg to a foothold, push up a bit, allowing my left hand to grab a great hold and pull up and suddenly, I am moving into a brand new position, a brand new plateau, a brand new perspective.

The last spot that had me stuck is now figured out, it's now a part of my tricks, adds to my confidence. I get to enjoy the peace that comes when I make it past a sticky spot, but only for a moment.

It's time to take what I learned and think through how to make it past the next spot. And so it goes, one maneuver at a time, all the way to the top.

Gaining perspective one move at a time.

Which won't come if I give up.

And oh view , the sweet view from the top, a little taste of God's perspective on the little planet we wander around on.

I will lift my eyes, to the maker of these Mountains I am climbing!