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just thought i'd share:

my parents FINALLY got wireless broadband internet. no more dial-up internet. no more busy phone lines. no more AOL!!!!

welcome to the 21st century mom and dad!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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It's been a while now since I've truly felt the Christmas spirit or really been super-excited about the arrival of the  Christmas holidays. I think it's because I'm much older now and there's no anticipation of gifts on Christmas morning. Or because I live in Southern California and it hardly gets cold here. (I associate Christmas with very cold weather.)

And even more sad, I suppose, is that when Christmas has rolled by the past couple of years, I've hardly given a thought as to why we really celebrate the holidays -- you know, because of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and the King of Kings

But at church this past weekend (Flood), we sang "O Holy Night," (which is my favorite Christmas song btw) and I felt this sudden rush of emotion and I choked up. It was like... a revelation of sorts, or a big "DUH" from God as to the meaning behind it all.  We celebrate Christmas because we are nothing without Jesus. There's no hope and no peace in this depraved, suffering world without Him, without a Saviour to save us from our sinful selves and to teach us how to love. And I was also struck by our God's awesomeness and greatness -- how He loved us so much to subject Himself to this world and to take upon Him the punishment we rightly deserve.

He Knows our need, our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He Taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!

It's a shame I've mindless sung these lyrics so many times in the past, but hopefully I won't simply gloss over their powerful meaning anymore.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! Hope you have a GOOD one!

To listen to Flood's Advent Conspiracy sermon series on Christmas, click here.

My favorite "O Holy Night Version" is by 98 Degrees (yes, it's a boy band, I know, but I like the harmony...) and I also really like Chris Tomlin's version too (which is actually contains the full lyrics written below, unlike the 98 degrees version).

O Holy Night Lyrics 
Christmas Carol Lyrics

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

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Woohoo! I'm famous and popular...online!! Just kidding!!

I did the google-your-name thing and my work website comes up as the #23rd entry! Woohoo! (My students access my website a lot, so I was wondering just how popular it was...yes, I am a dork)

Right after college, I joined the Teach For America movement in Los Angeles and during those two years, worked as a science teacher at a school in East Los Angeles. Then I got a great opportunity to help start a middle school in downtown Los Angeles as a science/math middle school teacher and the science coordinator at the school. After two years there, I got married and started working at a fairly well-known charter high school down here in SD county (which, with just some careful observation, you can easily find out its name if you so desire). Needless to say, I've accrued some teaching experience throughout the years in different areas and at schools with fairly different views on education.

Somehow, (yes it surprises me every year when I think about it), I'm still in the teaching profession. And I think I've stuck with it because I'm still searching for that perfect classroom and perfect school. I've taught at a very traditional middle school in East LA, then a let's-try-to-shake-up-public-education type school (but was still plagued with many typical public school problems) and now, I'm at a fairly progressive charter school that believes that project-based learning is the way to teach students.

I think I become jaded as the years of teaching go by. I thought this school that I'm at is the wave of the future in education, but I'm not quite sure it's the model that American education should adopt. I'm still not convinced that it's ok to not teach traditional topics in math, science or humanities because students won't use them in the future. Aren't we cheating them out of the one chance they have to learn geometric proofs or balancing chemical equations? Does everything really have to relate to the real-world or be useful in their future lives? Can't we just teach for the sake of learning? Is it okay that there are gaps in a student's education because they spent so long learning one narrow part of a subject, but missed out on everything else?

I know that nothing's perfect, especially when it comes to things like government initiatives and programs and institutions that are meant to serve the broad American public. But because I'm idealistic (and naive I suppose), I still believe that somewhere out there, in America, there is a public school that's not so dysfunctional. A school that engages all students in learning AND adequately prepares them for college and/or the working world. Or maybe not.

Maybe it's time for me to leave the classroom and explore other options in the educational field. I might try my hand at changing the American education system -- because, it's such a mess and so freakin' frustrating sometimes and someone needs to help fix it!

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Here's a photo that didn't make it into our wedding slideshow, but I thought I'd share anyway.

I totally had blocked this from my memory until Sarah sent this to me. Apparently my parents liked this photo enough that it made the "slideshow" cut. Not sure what they were thinking.

The dresses were made by a streamstress that we knew and my mom picked out the fabric...

...will post something of substance soon, I promise!

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One of the more fun moments of wedding planning is when you get to sit down and pull out the old childhood pictures for the slideshow. I've seen some pictures of Matt (and already know how dorky he is), but this picture cracks me up! Sarah, who's doing our slideshow, emailed me this pic after getting it from Matt's mom. Thanks Sarah!

Betcha didn't know Matt played soccer too. Be still my heart.