Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach


I’ve moved (blogs not homes).
April 15, 2012, 7:20 pm
Filed under: My life

Please update your links or google readers. My new blogging home is http://gracefilledlifeinafallenworld.wordpress.com/. Stop on by :).



Well…
March 29, 2012, 10:28 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

I’ve reached my quota of uploads on this blog, so I will probably be moving elsewhere. It’s time for a change. Although, in my mind I can justify everything I post here under this blog name of Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach because a life of discipleship is one of learing and teaching, I don’t know that it best describes what this blog has become. I’d love some suggestions and help from you with the following questions.

What are some possible titles for this blog?

In your opinion, what is this blog really about?

Happy Thursday!



Proofreading
March 23, 2012, 10:02 pm
Filed under: Good Advice, Teaching

I saw this somewhere and the student and teacher in me appreciated it even if I don’t follow the advice to proofread enough.

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Author Unknown



Spring Break
March 20, 2012, 8:33 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

My spring break started a little early. Partly because I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled unexpectedly. Not much to say about that. No swelling. Mild discomfort and pain. Best dentist trip ever. It was over before I even knew it began. I was in, filled out paper work, drugged, had my teeth pulled, cleaned up, awakened, recovered, and was wheeled to a friends car all in an hour and five minutes. It took longer to get my prescriptions and coffee :).

Last week I

  • Went to a 3-man-play of the book of Acts. It was interesting to see how they accomplished the feat. It also gave me a strong desire to know my Bible better. I need to review my NT Archaeology notes :). I loved the allusions to other parts of the Bible. When Peter, Paul, and others spoke their conversations were filled out with their words from other books of the Bible. I did not care for the comic relief of the play. I felt it was a little coarse and unnecessary. The play also made me very thankful that we have the written word of God and not a video or an oral tradition. The Word of God is sure and we can go back to it time and time again and to the actual words not someone’s interpretation or representation. It is timeless and never becomes dated.
  • Went to Downtown Orange for dinner with my dear, friend Esther at Bruxies. Downtown Orange is adorable! It’s fun to walk around. Chapman Universities’ campus is right there. I could hang out there all day. Bruxies is amazing. They make sandwiches with a waffle for the bread. Mine had chicken, an amazing sauce, and slaw. Esther’s had ham, cheese, and egg and we split a creme brulee waffle for dessert. If you are ever in the area, it’s an experience.
  • Spent the night at Laura’s and hung with her and G for the day. We went grocery shopping, made mock Olive Garden dressing, went to lunch. The change of pace and surroundings were sweet and restful to me. It was fun to see how talkative G is too. Everything was “Jenn do it,” whether it was holding a hand, pushing a cart, playing blocks, or going somewhere.

  • Celebrated a friend’s birthday at Claim Jumpers. Enjoyed spending time with my friends/coworkers who I often don’t get opportunities to hang with mid semester when we are all managing our own dorms.
  • I got a pedicure and a manicure. I love pedicures, but they usually stress me out because of the time commitment. It was good for me to do it and just chill out. One of my friends said because they stress me out, it’s probably a sign I need to take the time to do it more.
  • Wednesday I hung out with my old roomies and my friend Tricia. We headed out to the outlets. I love shopping with them. They really should be personal shoppers :).
  • I picked my March Madness picks for a little Student Life v. Admissions friendly competition. The playful trash talking is my favorite, but since we lost the last 3 years, I’m keeping my mouth shut this year :). I’m not doing so great right now. I picked the wrong upsets thus far, so we shall see how I fare as things progress. Have I ever told you how my friend Polly picks her teams.  Click here and here to read about it. It’s hilarious and she usually does really well. March Madness is just that. Madness.
  • I tried to do a 2-day cleanse to get healthy. Living with a bunch of college students tends to lead to some unhealthy habits. Staying up late, eating junk, eating like a college student who has the metabolism of an 18-year-old, so I thought now’s my chance to reset things and turn that around. Nope. Didn’t happen. I felt sick all day but felt much better once I had an Americano and a double double :).
  • I interviewed for church membership. I’m really excited to become a member at my church and was really excited in this interview to see the pastoral heart and care of G-Com. It was also a sweet treat to have to fill out a long app and answer interview questions. It refreshed my soul with the truths of the gospel and reminded me what Christ has done in my heart and life and proclaimed what He will do. I’m not what I was and I’m not what I will be.
  • Babysat for the Kellers one night. Kids were all in bed when they left except for this little angel. It was good to spend a little time with Heidi and Joe too. I’m so thankful for the investment so many couples I have babysat for over the years have made in me, but especially these two.

  • Friday, I finally got around to doing a little homework.
  • Had my sweet friend Raqel over with her whole family who is visiting. I had met her mom before but this time I got to meet her brother and dad. I also got to spend time with her and her boyfriend which is fun because that hasn’t happened much. I’ve seen their relationship grow from across campus. They are both such a joy to be around, so it was fun to just hang and eat.

  • I headed back down to Orange County to hang with some friends. I had pho for the first time, but the waiter wasn’t sure whether it was really pho or not. It was an evening of experiences. The restaurant was behind the 99 cent store which was strange, but it was hoppin’ which usually says good things. My friends tried to teach me to use chopsticks. They had a chopstick war to see what things they could pick up. I was impressed with their mad chopstick skills. The two other experiences of the weekend were macaroons and Trader Joes Almond Horns. both are quite delightful.

  • LAX run to pick up Karrie. Who I have missed.

Really it was the best spring break ever.



Friends, Friends, and more Friends

  • Friday afternoon: lunch with friends who greatly impacted my life and had definite roles and investments in God leading me to be an RD
  • Late Friday afternoon: coffee with a friend who has my old job
  • Friday evening chat with one of my old roommies. I never see them any more :(.
  • Saturday morning coffee with my dear friend , Jen Holmes.
  • Saturday late afternoon headed down to Disney Day with Summer for the best Disney trip ever! I only rode one ride, but it was sooooo good to hang with Sum and to see so many other friends who were there for Disney Day.
  • Saturday evening: briefly saw Laura and Adam for a minute. Thanks for the Torani syrup and the avocados :).
  • Sunday afternoon: Porto’s Cuban Bakery after church with all of my old roommates. Guess I can’t say I never see them anymore.
  • Sunday late afternoon: Talked with my dear former student, Anuja. So encouraging to hear her plans, dreams, and desires for college next year and for beyond college.
  • Sunday evening: Time with my ARAs. I love them :).

Does it come as a surprise to anyone right now that I despirately need to do homework?



Another Way to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
February 23, 2012, 7:32 am
Filed under: Community, Friends, FUN!, humor, Quirky

These also showed up on one of the girls’ wings in honor of Valentine’s Day. It’s always a good idea to make a single advertisement for your buddy in the dorm to put up on your sister wing :). Just to clarify for those of you who may not have a sense of humor, this was a prank and a joke. It is funny :). These images have been slightly doctored to protect the innocent and the guilty.

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Orange Creamsicle Cookies
February 21, 2012, 8:03 am
Filed under: Cooking, Cool Finds, FUN!, recipes, These are a few of my favorite things..., tmc, work

I think these could be a new fave! They will be right at home in Sweazy where we love everything orange. I even had one for breakfast :).

Orange Creamsicle Cookies
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest 2 cups white chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not over cook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.



Flea Market Finds
February 20, 2012, 8:00 am
Filed under: Cool Finds, Friends, FUN!, Girly-Girl, Home, These are a few of my favorite things...

Last weekend I went to the Pasadena Flea Market with my dear friend Laura. I wish I had pictures of the solid wood children’s chairs she found, but I don’t. Here are my finds.



Congratulations, Noelle and JP!

One of my dear, sweet RAs got engaged last weekend. I’ve known JP longer, because he was a summer intern in our office two years ago, but Noelle has become very dear to me this year. I’m rejoicing at this awesome pair becoming a permanent pair. They both love the Lord and want to please Him and I have no doubt that they will be able to do that together. At our leadership meeting this week in the dorm, we celebrated JP’s popping the question with pop, popcorn, popsicles, and pop’ems.



Valentine’s Day on Campus

I love the thoughtfulness on campus for Valentine’s Day. People baked up a storm in my kitchen for other people. The guys from our brother dorm also came and surprised their sister wings. One wing wore all black and came in at 3:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, many of the girls on the wing they were surprising were awake and they got caught, but that is part of the fun. The put bubble wrap down the hallway and hung hearts and candy from the ceiling. They also put up advertisements for dates for one of the single guys in their dorm with a bio and tear off numbers at the bottom :). Another brother wing braided streamers and were thoughtful enough to ask ahead if there were cork boards or white boards by each door so that they would know whether they needed push pins or tape. Their willingness to craft and their thoughtfulness of the girls in the dorm warmed my heart. It was also very sweet because each treat the girls on a wing got whether it was from a brother wing or from their RA or ARA, I got one delivered to my door too. Here is a link to a video of one of the wings being decorated.

photo.php?v=2916342622547&set=vb.1080150601&type=2&theater

In case that doesn’t work, here are some sub-par iphone pics that don’t give you the full effect of the festivities :).