~my own little adventure~

Wyatt & Sophie

eleme — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:17:05 GMT

Since I posted about Sophie & Wyatt last year, Reece's Rainbow has received some updated photos of them. But they are *still* waiting!!! They are both still little, but as they approach 4 years old (and Wyatt will be 4 in February) the urgency to find them a forever family increases! Between 4-6 years old, most orphans in Eastern Europe are transfered out of their baby houses to older child institutions. For children with special needs, they are usually transferred to adult mental institutions. OH DEAR!! Many children don't survive long in these situations :(

Wyatt

Sophie

Please continue to PRAY for Wyatt and Sophie! And consider donating to their adoption grants through Reece's Rainbow or sharing them on your blog or facebook. They need to be seen!!

eleme — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:29:50 GMT

I read this Psalm last night ... and I have to share it with you. As I read it yesterday, my heart was heavy for the oppressed, the hurting, the sick ... and especially for the orphans. My heart is breaking daily as I see pictures and read updates on the many special needs orphans waiting for their families in orphanages around the world. Please join with me in praying for them! Our God is their Redeemer and Healer!!

Psalm 35

A psalm of David.

¹O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
²Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
³Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
⁴Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
⁵Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
⁶Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
⁷I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
⁸So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

⁹Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
¹⁰With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

¹¹Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
¹²They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
¹³Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
¹⁴I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
¹⁵But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
¹⁶They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

¹⁷How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
¹⁸Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
¹⁹Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
²⁰They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
²¹They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

²²O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
²³Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
²⁴Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
²⁵Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

²⁶May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
²⁷But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
²⁸Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

And here is the face of just ONE child ... three year old "Mario" whom I have been praying for for over a year.

And who is he sitting with in that picture? His future Dad!! YES! His family is visiting him now, and they are on the journey to bring him home for good. The Lord is good and faithful!

eleme — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:57:44 GMT

I know I haven't posted in so very long, but I have something very important that I wanted to share with anyone who might still see this!!

I have been supporting Reece's Rainbow both prayerfully and financially for the last year or so. The mission of Reece's Rainbow is ... to rescue orphans with Down Syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children waiting in 25 countries around the world and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children. I have watched, through the online community their website promotes, as dozens of children have been brought home from countries around the world - mostly children with down syndrome, but also those with other special needs. My eyes have been opened to the injustice happening in orphanages around the world as these children, deemed unacceptable or unfit for families, are left in orphanages with little medical intervention, attention, or opportunity for growth. Last spring I commited to praying for one particular child named "Mario," and several months ago a family came forward to adopt him and another sweet little girl! They are still in the waiting phase as all their multitudes of documents are sent to the children's country, and I still pray regularly for that rescue!

Right now - Christmas time - is Reece's Rainbow's annual Angel Tree fundraiser. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise $1000 or more as an adoption grant for every child with down syndrome listed on their website. This is their biggest and most important fundraiser of the year!! In the last 5 years, more than 500 children have come home to forever families and the majority of the funding is raised through Angel Tree.

Please, would you consider donating to the adoption fund for little Wyatt or Sophie? And please pray with me that their families will find them! And have the strength to stand up and come for them! It is not God's hope that any of his children be so lost, alone, and hurting ...

Wyatt-26HA
Update September 2011:Our little Wyatt is not doing well. He is described as a recumbent patient. He has hydrocephalus and can hardly move his hands. My heart breaks for Wyatt, he really needs to be with a loving family who willl help him find the medical interventions he needs! Please pray with me that his family will find him, and if you can please contribute to his adoption fund!

Sophie-2H
Little Sophie REALLY needs a family!!! She is so young and will greatly benefit from adequate medical care, early intervention, and a family who loves her. Sophie has many medical needs, but she would thrive with the love of a family! Let's rally and help her find one!

Thanks friends!

october begins.

eleme — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:37:46 GMT

new sneaks and a shiny new car. it's been a whirlwind two weeks!

.

two weeks all at once

eleme — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 05:42:29 GMT

only not really.

catchin' a break between work and an evening parent training thing-y. i work one mile from the beach. one.

paint. sand. bus stop. me.

what i did THIS week.

eleme — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 23:02:33 GMT

what i did this week

eleme — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:32:38 GMT

wait for the bus ... hollywood style.

~

.

eleme — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:36:28 GMT

i'm doing way too many things at the same time right now!! WAHHHHHHH

pasta salad and pizza and laundry and dishes and packing and sleep and yoga and airport and OMG. can haz knitting plz?

the end.

summer fun in LA

eleme — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:36:34 GMT

There have been plenty of times I've complained about being here in California. Moving is hard - and moving across the country, away from friends and family is REALLY hard. But there is a lot to be said for hubby feeling better and being happy. Fewer allergens and the consistent weather is so good for him. And what's bad about a sunny day? I enjoy the sunshine and warm weather too :)

We've had fun together this summer, especially attending outdoor performances (and bonus - most of them free!!). I want to share some of the musical discoveries I've made this summer via these performances.

We've been to two Performances at Grand, an awesome little square surrounded by the skyscrapers of downtown LA -- 100 points to Hubby for discovering this! The first one was in July, right before I started teaching summer school, and we heard Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan. They played some fantastic music. And the square they play in has some yummy restaurants (yay Starry Kitchen <-- delicious food!) and a really cool fountian that they sometimes run even during the concerts!! I was at first interested in this particular concert because Kayhan Kalhor is a veteren of YoYo Ma's Silk Road Project and I always love the music they make together. That night they played traditional and improvisational music from Iran and Turkey on the kamancheh and baglama. So fascinating. The video below isn't from their performance that night, but it gives you an idea of the kind of music they played :D

Earlier this week we visited the Hollywood Bowl for the first time. This visit wasn't free like the Grand Performances, but the tickets were really reasonable. AND? We had the opportunity to see BB King - Hubby was thrilled! We loved the atmosphere - the whole walk up to the bowl, and even once in our seats there were people having picnic dinners and sharing bottles of wine. We're still getting used to this idea - places we can bring food into, and even alcohol! Next time we're definitely bringing a bottle of wine and some picnic-y things like cheese, rolls, or a pasta salad. We're also going to rent little cushions for our bums, or at least I hope we will. The couple sitting next to us explained that they can be rented for $0.75 at the bowl - if you get there early enough :) The music was great, especially BB King of course. It was great to see him enthusiastic and lively as ever. He told his stories, sang a lovely "You are my Sunshine" for the ladies, and in general was a lot of fun. Best part for me? The big grin on Hubby's face the entire time he was on stage :D Only sad thing was that BB King's time on stage was so short ... not sure if it was due to his age (he is 84 after all) or limitations set by the bowl. Either way it was a really enjoyable evening.

The second Grand Performance we attended was this weekend, Friday night - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba and Dengue Fever. Again, lots of fun at a free concert with yummy Starry Kitchen! We had different seats this time as there's no assigned seating and we arrived much later this time. The atmosphere in this section was much more picnic-y, though now that I think about it I'm not sure if that was because of the different seats or the different style of music. Either way I was totally groovin' to the music, especially Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - a Malian band. They played the ngoni (along with the bass ngoni, callebasse, percussion, and of course, vocals), which is basically an African ancestor of the American banjo. I loved the sounds, the rhythms, and the bright colors. Dengue Fever was entertaining as well (major points to their sax/trumpet/flute player!), but Bassekou Kouyate was definitely the highlight. If you click through to the website I linked, be sure to listen to the audio segments they provide - so much fun!

The performance this weekend with the ngoni was particularly interesting to me because earlier this summer I watched a documentary called Throw Down Your Heart about Béla Fleck (an American banjo player) and his journey to explore the African roots of the banjo. It was so interesting to both see and hear the traditional African instruments and to watch the musicians of all walks of life jam together. Way fun. And then to see an African band bring the ngoni to perform here in LA was awesome. (you can see the trailer for the Béla Fleck documentary here)

I feel blessed to have experienced all that I did this summer. I love the sounds of music from all over the world and I'm finding all sorts of new things to listen to on last.fm! Maybe the next time I pick up my violin my playing will be influenced by what I've heard. Or maybe I'll simply be more likely to pick up my violin at all. Whatever shape the influence takes, my life is richer. <3

win!

eleme — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:55:59 GMT

I just got an email that started off with this:

Congratulations, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued you the following document on 8/10/2010

Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential

ETA: That would be my California certification, whoooo!

veggie om noms

eleme — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:17:07 GMT

Farmer's market was a big hit today, lots of nummy foods. From my regular stalls I picked up watermelon, cantelope, corn, two kinds of squash, bell peppers, okra, apricots, plums, and limes. I also got a lovely bouquet of flowers, some hummus, and MOST EXCITING!! There's a new stall selling mushrooms and fresh eggs! The mushroom/egg stand said that it's their second week at the market, I really hope they keep coming back -- I'm super duper excited about having fresh, free-range eggs at the market!! (And hubby likes said the mushrooms look really good.)

YUM! Meals on market days are really exciting :D

For lunch we had the hummus and some pita chips from Trader Joe's ... but for dinner I browsed around looking for okra recipes. I've never cooked (or eaten) okra before, so I wanted to follow a recipe before branching out on my own experiments. Here's what I found:

Okra and Corn with Tomatoes

Serve this Carolina favorite over a bowl of long-grain rice with a piece of hot cornbread. The okra should be young, not longer than 2 inches. Vine ripen tomatoes and fresh bell peppers add to the richness of this dish.

2 tablespoons each butter and canola oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced into rounds

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon each thyme, red pepper flakes and basil

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

3 large fresh ripe, tomatoes seeded and chopped

4 ears corn, remove kernels, about 2 cups
(may use frozen or canned whole kernel, drained)

2 cups small okra pods, left whole or 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1/2 cup water or chicken stock

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a 10 inch iron skillet or heavy pan, heat olive oil and add onions, bay leaves, thyme, basil, and red pepper flakes. Sauté, and stir until onions are limp add bell pepper and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, okra, water, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and cook 5 minutes longer. Taste, adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

from: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/okra.cfm

I halved the recipe and made minor adjustments - leaving out spices I didn't have and using fewer tomatoes because I didn't have more (only four small ones from my patio garden, didn't think to get some this morning from the market). It was really good - very different from what I usually make but oh so delicious. I'll probably make it again. Mmmmmmm.

Oh, and watermelon for dessert!

!!

eleme — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:00:13 GMT

I HAVE MY VIOLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The brother-in-law was in OH for a little over a week for meetings, I picked him up from LAX yesterday and he had it (we'd left it with my in-laws rather than in storage like most of our other stuff)! MY VIOLIN!!! Thus endeth the longest separation my violin and I have ever had, and now I can play it again! WHOOOO!

the new me.

eleme — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:06:05 GMT

I'm feeling like a new person the last few days ...

School is out for the summer! WHOO!!! (or at least for four weeks until summer school starts ...)

I cut off my hair this last weekend. I'm enjoying shorter length and the subtle layers. (much cooler!)

We're off the floor for the first time nearly 21 months - that's almost 2 years!! We bought a bedframe and put it together this weekend, it feels FANCY!

...I'll share some pictures when I have them :)

meme, it has been so long!

eleme — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:09:52 GMT

A strong-willed herald of causes against injustice, you passionately strive to right the wrongs around you. Somebody has to save our skins!

ONWARD!! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!! ^.^

Who are you?

And big thanks to pixel_curious for posting this tonight. I've spent the last several hours sitting here writing the next update for the Vikings and I almost had brain explosion. Between my pancake dinner and that fun little test, I think the danger may pass.

~

throwing it out there ...

eleme — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:04:49 GMT

Walking home from my weekly farmer's market trip on Sunday I saw an unusual (to me!) tree with great big leaves that remind me of a sassafras. However, the fruit (large and green) and bark (smooth and white/creamy) make it not a sassafras (see here). I've tried various tree identification routes, but when I search by leaf all I find is sassafras, and when I search by fruit I'm not sure I'm looking at the right stuff because I haven't tried to cut into the fruit to see how thick the husk is or if there are seeds or pits. Besides that, I haven't found anything like this fruit that has this sort of leaf. It's a MYSTERY!!

Can you help me solve the mystery?? Clues:: The bark is smooth and white/cream colored. For the leaves and fruit, I took a

Any ideas?

[ETA: I just remembered, when I rubbed my fingers on the leaves they were rough, not smooth. Sometimes that's a helpful identifying factor :)]

hmm.

eleme — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:46:11 GMT

So I think I should do it.

Well, two things actually. (Wait, make that three!)

First of all, I should actually submit the necessary forms to get my teaching credential in California. I took the next step tonight by filling out the application form (and printing it!!) and copying several of my test results/credentials. Next I want to check with someone at work that I've filled it out properly. Hopefully it can get sent off *sooN*

The second thing I think I should do is to apply for grad school. I've been sitting on this thought for two years now, but I think I should Just Do It already. I want to get my certification in Special Education so that I can have my own classroom and utilize some of the multitudes of ideas/methods I have running around in my brain. I've been thinking a lot recently. (That, and playing Sims2, lol!) I've been thinking about autism, about Montessori, about Floortime, about practical and functional skills and activities for my kids, about pre-reading and pre-writing skills, about potty training, about communicating ... about what I actually want to do when I grow up.

That's not to say I'm unhappy where I'm at, my team is great and I LOVE my kids, really. Every year I think that I couldn't possibly love any kid more than I love so-and-so, and every year I'm wrong. Every year I love them more and more. Seriously, my kids this year are giving me grey hairs, but I don't even care because they're so darn cute and amazing and puzzling and FANTASTIC! (And exhausting, but that's just about a given.)

All that love aside, I'm tired and disenchanted. I can see so much potential in the students and the staff, but it's all jumbled up in a chaotic mess! I'm not naive enough to think that I can change the system as a teacher (whether it's class size or curriculum or policy), but I want to try some different things, share some bigger ideas, and have a little more say than I currently do as a TA. I'm ready for my own classroom. Maybe. But at least I think I'm ready to take the next step.

(And lastly, I think it's about time I posted on LJ. ^.^ HAIIIIII)

a christmas song, for all of you :)

eleme — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:11:50 GMT

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours :)

~

a weekend adventure. from two weeks ago :)

eleme — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:23:28 GMT

About two weeks ago Hubby and I adventured our way to Exposition Park. Exposition Park is located across the street from USC (University of Southern California) and near-ish to downtown. There are several museusms there (and the Olympic Stadium!), but what I was most interested in was the Rose Garden. I was not sure what I'd find at the Rose Garden in mid-November, but lo and behold! There were flowers!

We arrived in the late afternoon, but we still were able to walk around and enjoy the flowers before the sun set. We were getting hungry (and it was getting a bit chilly once the sun went down), so we sought out a place to eat. We found a yummy Japanese ramen place, right by a bus stop that would take us where we needed to go. We enjoyed a very delicous meal of chicken and rice, and chicken ramen. Yum. It was a particularly meaningful adventure because Hubby started his new job the next morning! When we could see the downtown skyline, he made sure to point out which really tall building he'd be working in.

Saturday (or Sunday) adventures are the highlight of my week. I love the weekends! Not only do I get to see or do something interesting in this new city, but I get to spend time with someone I love very much! Hubby's new job is a blessing (really), but it is also a big challenge and adjusting to it is difficult. Between his work schedule and mine, we only really see one another Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sunday mornings. During the rest of the week I see him when he's asleep (and I'm getting ready for work in the morning), and he sees me when I'm asleep (when he comes home at night), but that doesn't really count in my books. Finding a new rhythm for my school nights has been the challenge of the last weeks. There are many *alone* moments. I keep looking for the calm, and every now and then I find some - knitting quietly with the cats around me, washing dishes and listening to music, or drinking a lovely cup of peach tea. Here's to finding a calming rhythm, and to next Saturday coming soon! *holds up tea mug*

(There are a few more pictures of the Rose Garden in our Zen Gallery here.)

Even if you don't love weekends quite as much as I do, I still hope you had a fabulous one! (and Thanksgiving too, if you celebrated it!) Good night!

~

.

eleme — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:40:13 GMT

... i love it :D They had these sorts of stairs at the Children's Museum in Ann Arbor. Maybe if I explore all the metro stations here in LA I'll find some here :) What a cacophony it must be at rush times, LOL!

according to the funtheory website, they're having a contest. I wonder what the winner wins? I want a contest where the winner wins fun things in their hometown! And I want to win! XD

~

exploring with books.

eleme — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:22:38 GMT

In addition to the various exploratory adventures I've had here in California (like trips to the Central Library, Santa Monica Pier, and Griffith Park), I've also been doing a fair share of exploratory reading about my new home. The landscape, weather, and plants (animals too!) are just *different* than what I am used to from my Michigan Great Lakes/Midwest upbringing. Deserts? Ocean coasts? Palm trees? Mediterranean climate? I don't know what all this is about!

So, what do I do? I get a library card as fast as I can (first piece of mail ftw!) and check out some books. Here's a list of books and dvd documentaries that I've enjoyed exploring lately:

City of Angels: In and Around Los Angeles by Julie Jaskol and Brian Lewis, illustrated by Elisa Kleven - a children's book with fantastic illustrations (I love Elisa Kleven!) that describes the histories, events, and character of sights in and around LA. I enjoyed this one.

California A Knopf Guide

National Geographic Field Guide to the Trees of North America - gotta start learning about the different trees that grow here (and finding some of the same ones too)!

Stories from Where We Live: The California Coast by Sara St. Antoine - these short stories, poems, and biographical exerpts have been a great way of familiarizing myself with life on the California coast. A wide range of experiences - from ocean tide pools to the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake - are explored in this collection.

Blue Planet: Seas of Life -- Tidal Oceans, Coasts - I've watched most of the Blue Planet episodes as they showed on TV, but I think I missed at least one. Somehow these episodes in particular feel a little more applicable now. One of these days I'd love to get to a beach that is less peopled and more ... rugged?

It's time for another trip to the library!

good news!

eleme — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:12:22 GMT

I started new job yesterday! Woot! Feels good to be working again. Kids in Cali with autism are like kids in Michigan with autism - familiar yet different, challenging yet loveable. And while I don't have my own keys or know where anything is, I feel comfortable with the kids. And that's a happy feeling.

~

on the road days 3-4

eleme — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:08:02 GMT

Late last night ...we made it!

on the road - day 2

eleme — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:00:29 GMT

Kansas. Lots of kansas. And then colorado.

On the road - day 1

eleme — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:11:23 GMT

Ohio - indiana - illinois and onward towards missouri and kansas. =o!

adventure.

eleme — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:55:09 GMT

A list of happy things:
1. we got an extra day with the moving van/truck at no extra cost because cdrodeffer worked some magic!
2. Our stuff will totally fit in the van, and almost definitely into the storage unit - we purged enough!!
3. Friends from church came and helped us get a lot of stuff out and into the van! (everything that was ready at least)
4. I found my keys!!! They'd been lost since yesterday and I was worried they got packed into some box. But they're found!!
5. We saw a rainbow.
6. We had yummy dinner with friends (thank you)!!
7. My headache is gone.
8. Feeny is snuggling me right now, sitting on the floor with me and my computer.

Endings, beginnings, tearful goodbyes, and wishes for exciting futures ... adventure. Off we go with the blessing of a rainbow and the prayers of friends and family. Off to seek adventure. (I think Owain will be in good hands with Branwyn, yes? ^.~ )

Elfbit (cdrodeffer and ravenpan's daughter) told me at dinner tonight, "But I will miss you soooo much!" Right back at you girl. I will miss you sooo much too, but I still love you, even when I'm far away. That's what 'i love you' cupcakes can help you remember :)

I miss you, but I still love you. *mwah*

~