So, here we are today, with a few moments to spare, and I shall leave you with a few of my recent ramblings in a la carte style:
Angela & The CTL Banquet:
Angela, the girl who was interning with CTL while we were in Romania this summer (but who's originally from the East Coast) stayed with us for about a week and a half at the end of September/ beginning of October. We had a BLAST. We went apple picking (sort of), showed her around town, had some awesome food, went to Dewars, watched A TON of Downton Abbey (be still my heart), and spent some fantastic time with some Romanians and some local CTL folks. The banquet was simply an awesome night of connecting with friends, hearing about what God is doing around the world, and getting excited about the future of CTL and our part in it. I'm seriously missing Angela and Bogdan and his family!
I WON A GIVEAWAY!:
Ok, I LOVE LOVE LOVE winning things. Last year I won circus tickets and Disneyland tickets, but this year I've been completely out of luck. I can't even tell you how many times I've called the TV and radio stations trying to win stuff (even if I don't care about the prize), but alas, my winning streak seemed to be over. UNTIL, my dear friend Erin Moffitt posted a giveaway on her blog and I WON! I was super duper excited. I love to win!!!
Jury Trial:
The defendant from my human trafficking trial (where I served as a juror) was sentenced to 32 years 8 months in prison--the maximin sentence he could have received. He is required to serve at least 85% of that sentence. I feel so humbled to have been part of such a trial, and I am so grateful to Judge Lua for setting such an important precedence for future human trafficking cases. You can read about the trial here.
School:
School is going well. I'm really enjoying my classes (knock on wood). This year has been quite different seeing as I didn't even get to start the year, but things are coming together. At times it feels quite hectic, what with DII training, and common core, and creating new things to match new standards, and Safe School Ambassadors starting and blah blah blah, BUT, I know I must keep swimming, do as much as I can without going overboard, and keep a smile on my face. Complaining never gets anyone anywhere except into a bad mood.
I assigned my students a heritage project to complete last week. They had to create a medicine bag with three items from different categories such as heritage, family heirloom, family tradition, what your family is known for, and future traditions. I brought my items (my great-grandma's purse, sheet music for Christmas carols, and a small Bible) in a childhood pillowcase, and it was so neat to share a part of my life with my kiddos. I absolutely ADORED hearing about their heritage and families. I had everything from an EMMY (yes, you read that correctly--one kid brought in his grandpa's EMMY), to pizza for the entire class, to Chinese moon cakes, to flags that had been draped over veterans' coffins, to different country flags, to a J's Place t-shirt (yes, the owner's daughter is in my class). It was a blast! That, my friends, is what my job is all about...
Oh, and the entertaining things my students say never cease to amaze me. I'm sure I could write an entire book, but I'll leave you with my favorite quote as of late: Ms. Erickson, you're like the white Beyonce! I may or may not have been singing prior to that comment.
Quench the Fire Run 5k:
Yes, you read that correctly. I just signed up for a 5k. I honestly never thought I'd type those words. I'd tell you all about it, but this post is getting a bit long, so I'll leave you in suspense for a day or two or seven.
I hope you've enjoyed my recent random ramblings (I love alliteration!). What's been going on in your life as of late??
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