"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight"

Christmas has already come and gone, but this line from a carol has stayed with me.
it's beautiful.

Think about all the disappointment we face - in small things like movies, big things like career choices, and especially people... and then there's Christ who meets all expecations.

Reading back on my journal, God has been pointing out to me the last few months to take captive every thought for Him. and yet, while i've been blessed beyond measure when i've actually done it, it's still hard to let go completely. Why do I hold on so tightly to my own hopes and dreams, my shortcuts and idols?

When i come face to face with the pain they inevitably bring, the worst part is the residual disappointment in myself. The fact that i can commune with God daily and yet remain so selfish and self-absorbed. the struggle is not with the world, but a desire to escape from myself.

but then it's time to fall back on the grace of God, surrender, and let Him take my thoughts captive. all my past hopes and fears, all my current and even future ones are met in Him. and not just mine but everyone's.

while conscious of the grace story, i'm still reluctant for it to live in my heart, to let it sing and heal me. yet He loves me.

Notable things this Week:
Thing I'm most sorry about: Failing to mention in my previous post that my roommate's boyfriend made this year's xmas tree shopping much easier by doing all the lifting and such. (there, Mr. K, feel better now? heehee)

Saddest thing: already breaking my diet "plan" a million times b/c of the sweets in our faculty lounge. arg...gaining 20 lbs since Jan sucks but trying to lose it sucks more!

Favorite meal: (see the pic) dining at a yummy fusion bistro...i had pistachio-crusted mahi mahi. as happens so often, i was the 5th wheel.

Favorite tv show: (well, the only show i've seen now that Ugly Betty is taking a break) Battlestar Galactica...yes, i'm a geek, that was much established in my last post.

Scariest thing to do: call back parents who are angry about their child's grade/comment on the most recent report card

Favorite thing to do in the car: listen to books on tape - especially HARRY POTTER!! but i don't know how safe it is for others on the road...several times, i've teared up during the moments of self-sacrifice and loyalty.

Favorite pampered moment: sitting in my ex-coworker's backyard hottub after a delightful ladies' wine tasting party

Favorite present I bought: sports equipment (a basketball & a Nerf football) for my Angel Tree child on behalf of his parent who is in prison

Favorite Bible passage read: "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

Favorite conversation I overhead: 4th graders intensely discussing whether or not they believed in Santa

Most random favor asked of me: to change someone's A-string on his violin

Most frequent question i asked myself after receiving xmas presents at school: are my students trying to tell me something? I've received make-up, perfume, and anti-wrinkle cream...either they're just trying to be nice or they're saying that i'm ugly, smell bad, and look old. =)

Favorite fact told to me by a student: the capital of Sri Lanka has 23 letters in its name

Favorite thing seen while i was on supervision duty during recess: a 5th grader who laid down on his side, lifted his hands above his head, and rolled from one side of the field clear across to the other side...just 'cause. i asked my coworker if that was normal behavior and apparently, it is. =)

whew...busy but funny week!

and just like that...it's christmas

this is an inherently stressful time of year for me b/c it involves something i'm not good at: shopping. i've found, though, that i'm a lot better at buying things for other people than i am at buying for myself (although, that's not saying much). at least it makes the crowded, aimless wandering around malls a bit more bearable.

and w/ the 70+ degree weather in LA, it hasn't exactly felt like the "holiday season" - even w/ 2 parties under my belt. up until yesterday, the most festive i felt was in Korea and that was only b/c i was all bundled up in scarves, gloves, and my thick coat.

but last night, everything changed... my roommate and I trekked over to Home Depot for our 2nd annual tree:

waiting to purchase the 5-footer. we got lucky - the first tree that we "unwrapped" ended up being attractively symmetrical. and the line was also quite a bit shorter than last year's.

being a fob in front of the trimming area. if you look closely, i'm wearing my Astrocamp sweatshirt. =)

the final result - isn't it just darn cute?

so yup, just like that, it's Christmas.
i love that my roommate gets so giddy with excitment over getting a tree b/c in the end, it's worth all the trouble.

and b/c i like lists so much, here are some other random
things i love:
*having $ to spend on others & wrapping presents
*free clothes from my roommate
*Keanu Reeves' character in the very cheesy movie The Lake House
*sci-fi - when did i become such a geek?
*Henry from Ugly Betty (what a terrific smile!)
*Korean comedies & tear-jerker dramas
*having students who:
a) tell me stuff like seeing a shooting star the other day
or listening to their pet gerbil's fast heartbeat
b) help me take out my splinters
c) run towards me at full speed and then leap into a bear hug
*having enough underwear to not have to do laundry for a ridiculously long time

it's commercialized and all that, but it is a nice time of year to reflect on all the joyous and silly reasons to celebrate life, esp. the one life that was given up so that we may truly live.

for some reason, i didn't think i'd like it that much...but i did. =)

after a week of struggling w/ jetlag, i'm pretty much back to "normal."
so...what did i do in Korea?
i had a *lot* of fun. and i was treated sooo well by all my wonderful hosts!

the highlights:
- public restrooms in subway stations (that were immaculately clean!)
- meeting all my goals (from 11/16 entry)... except the 3rd one - i found out how awful my Korean really is and i most definitely did NOT pass myself off as a native during any stretch of time.
- the 2 days spent in southeastern Korea
- getting to pray for my roommate's dad
- yummy yummy street vendors & banana milk
- getting pampered by family friends w/ a haircut & a (fobby) manicure
- the weather - fall is *BEAUTIFUL* & Seoul is filled with trees
- floor heating in homes
- toilet seat warmers
- being forced to go on a so-geh-ting (eeek!) =)
- accidentally assaulting my roommate's future father-in-law with a greasy, chewed-up shrimp tail. it was a Pretty Woman moment. actually, that wasn't a "highlight" of mine b/c i was speechless & horrified, but my roommate sure had a blast.

& sorry Ji, b/c i was following others around the whole time, i wasn't able to set my own agenda and do any of your suggestions BUT... i DID get to pray over the NK border!



models of the area i visited. they had all sorts of interesting NK stuff - like elementary school books w/ information that said all S.Korean kids are starving to death, etc.

across the river is NK

my roommate's uncle requested that we visit him in Ulsan, and i think he took us to every single tourist sight in the area! this is at one of the (many) Buddhist temples. aren't the trees gorgeous??

the Pacific Ocean from the other side

lots of good eating! in fact, too much good eating...















and of course, shopping... for some (hopefully) non-fobby clothes

fun fun. and i'm so thankful to my roommate, her family, and my family's friends who took such good care of me. it's nice being spoiled on a vacation!