Track and Field Day

Saturday!

Another beautiful, bright, sunny day!

Another track and field event!

Aaah, but this one was different. Not high school athletes competing, but my own students! And it was a work day. School on Saturday? Yep. Don't feel too sorry for me... we get an extra day off during spring break.

Track and Field Day is a big event here at Morrison. All the students from Kindergarten to eighth grade participate. All the parents come to cheer on their favorite students! 

Jacob competing in the high jump.

All my boys!

Instead of shotput, the younger kids do a softball throw!

My angels!

I love watching my students compete, but I especially love watching this guy!

Carl caught this picture. I was with my students at the softball throw.
Sometimes its hard to be both a teacher and a mom.

Jake's favorite- the 400! 

Neck and neck... who will cross the finish line first?
Two one hundredths of a second separated first place from second. 

This T and F day was very special. If you look carefully at the picture above, you can see our track is not the typical track of a modern school. Our track is 42 years old. The current athletic director competed on this track as a high school athlete! It is made up of crushed cinders. It is dirty, lumpy, and hard to maintain. It is also about to be no more! 

The city of Taichung is widening the street on the backside of our campus. They need land to complete the project. The land they need is the far end of our old outdated track! 

So our track has to be moved because by the beginning of next school year our perimeter wall will have sliced off the far corner. So sad to see our campus shrinking in size. Last summer we lost the front corner to another street widening project.

To celebrate and commemorate the day, every family planted a tree.  Placed in a safe location, the trees will be transplanted around the new track once completed.

The Dingus tree!

We are all so excited about a new track.. I will never again have to sacrifice another pair of running shoes to the permanent staining black; countless socks donated to the trash. 

No problem with that today.... I wore sandals!

Saturdays.....The Day of Rest

Aaaah! Saturdays- the blessed day of rest and relaxation.......

Not!

Well, maybe if your children are all grown up and moved on to the next stage of their lives. But I 'm just guessing, since I haven't hit that stage of life yet. But I do dream of those days often. However, if you happen to have any teenagers living in your house, you know what I mean!.

The last two Saturdays have found Carl and I on opposite ends of this island we call home. Not separately, of course, but together. First the southern end, and just recently the north.

Two Saturdays ago, we traveled via the team bus, with Jacob's soccer team to their tournament in Kaohsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan.We left the cold and rainy central area for a warmer and more pleasant climate.

Jake played well, as did the rest of his team. They brought home second place. They are in a rut-  second place in volleyball. Second place in softball. And now second also in soccer. I hope they break out of that rut for basketball!

This past Saturday, we once again boarded the team bus, but headed north for Taipei, the largest city in Taiwan. The sporting event, not soccer, but track.

Ben competed in the long jump, triple jump, and  the javelin throw.

Abbi long jumped,  ran the 100 meter hurdles, and completed the second leg of the 4 x 100 relay

Unfortunately, for both of them, pole vault was not offered.

For some reason, we seem to be a pole vault family.  Last week, they both placed first in the community meet. Of course, Abbi was the only girl competing, but she broke the school record. Even Jacob has spent time learning to wield that pole!

The best thing about attending sport events at TAS (Taipei American School)  is the western chain restaurants near the school. For lunch, I had a Subway sandwich. Supper consisted of dessert first, a Blizzard from Dairy Queen (just opened in the last six months!), followed by a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Such little things make me happy!

Next Saturday is Morrison's Invitational Track meet here in Taichung. Ben, Abbi, and Jacob will be competing. Pole vaulting is scheduled as one of the events.

The following Saturday is the elementary and middle school's track and field. This is a huge and major event for the students. Divided into multi-age teams, each child competes in two track events and two field events. It's on a Saturday, so all the parents can come cheer the athletes on. I am praying the warmer weather sticks around. Last year, track and field day was chilly and with a couple drenching downpours. Being outside all day is more enjoyable when it's warm and sunny. 

In two weeks, Carl, Ben, and Abbi will be traveling to Okinawa, Japan to compete at the Marine base.

Ben ran 6.5 miles yesterday to help raise funds for the team to participate. I don't know about you, but I was impressed!  

A Quick and Different Post

Quick.? Yes, it's 7:30am and my students will be entering the room soon. 

Different? Yes, I accidently came upon a praise song and for some reason I just have this strong urge to share it with everyone. I think it has a simple message that we all need to remember. No, not just remember, but marinate in.

ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oliRlM6iw3c

5 Reasons

The top five reasons I am happy to be a teacher:

 Painless and joyful heart attacks:

Ego lifting communication:

 Captive Audience: No, my students are not held captive or anything like that, but they can't leave just because my jokes are bad. In fact, they usually laugh whether the joke was funny or not... usually after I gently inform them that I just made a funny.

 

 Beginnings, Middles, and Ends: Every year there is a new beginning. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, between the two there is a lot of time and effort, sweat and tears, but it is all made better by the fact that there is an end. With this comes a new class every year- new faces, new personalities, new challenges!  

And the top reason I am happy to be a teacher.......

That is what God created me to be! 

There is no better feeling in the world, wait...  not feeling, but peace, and joy to be and to be exactly where God wants you...  in the center of His will!

Hong Kong Finally!

While planning my first Asia adventure many, many, many years ago, I contemplated South Korea. It sounded exotic... exciting. 

 But after further conversations and consideration, I settled on Hong Kong. Not that I had a solid base of information. In fact, in retrospect, I realize all my Hong Kong knowledge was gleaned from that girl detective Nancy Drew and her mysterious adventures. Dragons, fireworks, and junk (boat) cities lured me in.

God, however, had different plans.

He sent me to Taiwan instead. Taiwan? 

Where is Taiwan?

What's in Taiwan?

Why Taiwan?

But God, as always, knew what He was doing. So here I am. God is so right. 

So correct.  So right on. All the time.

Last spring, I went to South Korea to attend a literacy conference. Lot's of learning, a little sight seeing, and a sprinkling of souvenir shopping. 

Just last night, I arrived home from a weekend Writing Workshop conference in.... you guessed it - Hong Kong! Lot's of learning, but zero sight seeing (unless you count what was seen from the inside of a bus), and zilch on the souvenir shopping (although Katie did buy a Hong Kong Starbucks coffee mug).

Our hotel was right in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this international city. Great if you are a city person. I am not. 

The conference was held at the Hong Kong International School. Nestled among the hills, this was more the place for me. From the outdoor seating area of the cafeteria, blue water accented by white hulled boats gently bobbing, accompanied my lunches. Quite relaxing! 

View from the school!

The weather was similar to that of Taiwan.

HKIS is a large school with over 2, 000 students.

Large, large, large apartment buildings. Guess I am not in Ohio anymore!

Not a great picture, but I was trying to capture all the elements
 that make up Hong Kong.

   

I saved the best for last! My coworkers, my friends, my sisters in Christ! I appreciate all you do (for me and
Morrison Academy).

While both conferences were greatly enlightning, and both destinations were fun to visit, God was right. Taiwan was and is the place for me!

Tindog Tacloban

Stand up Tacloban! 

The devastation, mind boggling, even two months after the storm.

Steel rebar bent. Metal sheeting rolled up. Cars deposited inside houses. Twenty feet high storm surge. Those who survived did so by holding onto the electric power lines. Everyone lost someone. Everyone.

A team of teachers, parents, past graduates, students, and friends of Morrison Academy joined together to bring some relief.

medical clinics

construction

feeding program

.

Here are some more pictures and a video of Nick's recent experience.

Thanks for praying!

Check out this great video........

http://youtu.be/uMzd35LLLyA

Happy Chinese New Year!

Well, technically, I am late again! Chinese New Year was last week, Friday to be exact, but my thoughts and wishes are the same today as they were last week.

For the Taiwanese people, CNY is the biggest holiday of the year. School children are off school for three or four weeks. Most companies and businesses completely close down for a week. Like all respectble holidays, it revolves around food and family.

We were invited to Micheal and Anna's home on New Year's Day for a celebration dinner. Its always a treat when Anna is cooking!

The closest dish has vegetables and sea cucumber.
The next one back is fried radish cake.
Shrimp is next, served with the outside (legs, head, etc.)
still attached!

According to Anna, a lot of Americans like this beef dish.
I personally enjoyed the tofu dish more!

This Taiwanese sausage is a traditional New Year food. 

Fruit and good old American chocolate chip cookies (made by Abbi) were served for dessert. 

Are you hungry yet?