Journal 15

A picture of what is going on around here: Cassie has been running Cross Country for her middle school

Jesse and I got to have a fun date night out with Maya. She got to choose a place to eat; she picked the fanciest place she could think of: Hop Sing. (not fancy, but good food. =) )

Lots of soccer.....

This week we were so blessed with a visit from my Grandpa Tom, and his sweet friend Caroline. They did a whirlwind tour of California, swinging by all of the CA family. We had a fun visit, the only trouble was that it was far too short!

Today I am busy.... I will be attending church this morning with my family. I expect that we will end up making some plans with friends to meet somewhere for lunch afterwards. This afternoon Annaka's team is scheduled for soccer pictures, and then this evening we host our church College Group here for a study and to hang out.

This week I plan to.... Lots and lots of stuff going on. =)This week is full, just like every other week!

On the learning front.... My two classes are going well so far. Cassie is working on a cell-model for her class, so we are looking for interesting ways to build that. I am having fun visiting Maya's class each Tuesday morning where I help students with work, grade papers, run copies, make little books, or do whatever her teacher needs help with at that moment. I am Annaka's class room mom this year, so I am busy organizing things for class parties and such, and I also do grading for her teacher.

My running is.... It hasn't been very good, actually. =( I wasn't feeling very well, and then I went in a few weeks ago to give blood. They barely let me give blood because my hematocrit was low. I give blood about every 8 weeks, and that is abnormal for me. Anyway, that basically is a general test that shows that the formed elements of my blood are low, so probably low red blood cell count. I probably shouldn't have given blood at that point, but I was just above their lowest allowable level, and I didn't really think about it. After giving blood I felt just awful each time I went for a run. It felt like my legs were just empty. My muscles didn't hurt, it just felt like they wouldn't move. It was very strange, and really not helpful when trying to get into shape for a fast-approaching half marathon. After spending a week being frustrated about it, and not feeling better I decided to purposely eat a few things that would help. We ate way more steak than is remotely normal for us to pack in the B-vitamins, iron, and amino acids, and I stocked up on spinach, kale, and brightly colored vegetables. I made sure that I used every trick in the book. I ate foods high in calcium, but also made sure that I got vitamin D so that I could absorb it. I ate foods high in Iron, but also made sure I ate it with vitamin C in order to absorb as much iron as possible. I tried to think of every possible thing I could do to increase hematopoiesis....er... blood cell formation. So, anyway, I am slowly starting to feel a little peppier each time I head out for a run.

I hope....That a church friend feels peace as she begins the process of treating stage 3 or 4 melanoma. I pray that she is comforted physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and that she her husband and small children remain steadfast in the Lord and His Loving Will for their family.

I am loving.... Tutoring. So far I have had a lot of fun helping the students who come in for help. I am happy with the knowledge I have retained, although I am pretty shaky when people need help with Chemistry.

Something I have bought recently.... Buy one get on free at Jamba Juice! I have a coupon that lasts a few more days. I can forward it if anyone is interested. Yum

I am looking forward to.... Teaching (sort of) this week. I was asked to do a second job at the college. One day a week (for a total of 1.5 hours), I will be working with math students. My official title is Supplemental Instruction Leader, and I will be meeting with a math instructor for a half an hour per week to go over what he thinks his students need extra help with. Then I will hold an hour-long class with students who come in (voluntarily), based on that material. I will be breaking the students up into groups to work on a specific topic. I am curious to see how it will go as this is the first week I will be doing it.

I want to share.... Nothing special. Just have a great week everyone. Hug your family, smile at your neighbors, and enjoy this day that the Lord has made!