Recently we went out to lunch with some Filipino friends, and one of them happens to be the ordering manager of a local grocery store. I told him of my dream to have Life cereal sold at his store. He said Quaker is one of his suppliers so he would see if he could get some ordered. We all joked that when I saw it on the shelves we would have a "Life" party. We would play the game of "Life" eating "Life" cereal, reading "Life" magazine and watching "Life is Beautiful" while we told our testimonies about "Life" in Christ. Fun idea! 
I am going to have to have a Life party soon because today my eyes bulged out of their sockets when I saw on the shelf Life cereal! OH, I could not believe my eyes. I had to buy several boxes for fear that I would not see this day again. I also could not believe they had two of my other favorite cereals that are never sold here either. I think it was a good idea to put in a good word with the manager. I can't wait to have that "Life" party after all!
The craziest glitch of the show was when this Korean elementary student went up to sing his "Silent Night" solo. The place was silent as he stood with the microphone in his hand. He stared at Mr. Becker and started pointing to the keyboard. Mr. Becker thought he wanted a starting note, since he had told us in auditions that he didn't have accompaniment planned. The audience waited nervously as Mr. Becker climbed the steps to the keyboard and gave the silent student his starting pitch. Still, no singing. The student motioned to Mr. Becker to accompany him, so the surprised music teacher sat slowly on the bench. Suddenly an impromptu introduction began and the crowd amazingly released their breath as the awaited act began. Nate received so many compliments afterwards for his impromptu performance.
Other than that, the most complimented act was the number we performed called "Staff in Step." Nine of us staff members, including the principal, tried to imitate "Stomp" on stage but using teaching materials. (I don't have a photo of this because we were all involved). It started with the broom, then the librarian shut books hard on 2 and 4, then a ruler was struck, then the squeaky white-board markers checked the board, and by the end I was dancing in my tap shoes and Nate was beating his body with a clipboard. The crowd went wild and loved seeing their teachers up there being crazy. I told them, "That is what we do during staff meetings each week!" What a fun night of enjoying music and entertainment with our students.
No, we did not eat crocodile on Saturday, but we did eat raw fish. These are photos we took on our trip to Crocodile Farm. They had HUGE crocs from the river, like one that was 120 years old and weighed tons. They also had this crazy albino snake. I believe it was a boa that had no black pigment. It was slithery and gross, in my opinion, but Nate was brave enough to try it on for size. I had serious doubts about the reptile.
When they were building our school, they actually found a incredibly long and large boa that was at least 12-15 feet long. That means it is possible to find one in our yard! Our friends' dogs have been killed by cobras, but I have yet to see one myself. You know what, I don't think I ever need to see one. The scariest snakes I have seen are the sea snakes. According to my student, "Every single sea snake is poisonous". Well, that is certainly reassuring. Did I tell you that when we got engaged at sea we saw 4 of them!? (Okay, one of them might have been an eel). I guess that is better than seeing a shark, right? Oh, the Philippines is full of wonderful and interesting things. I just hope I don't have to have a personal encounter with them all.
One of the drawings in my head is of la Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Paris. I actually saw the perfect drawing of this while Esther and I were in Paris (2002), but why didn't I buy it then and there!??! Regrets. That is one of my Paris regrets. The reason I didn't was #1 Money and #2 we still had 2 1/2 months and I didn't want to worry about it (we traveled very light, you know). Well, why didn't I mail it to myself?
The reason this drawing was perfect was because the day Esther and I went to the Basilique we just found the place by sight, not by map. As you may know, the roads in Paris are not a grid, like in Omaha, Nebraska. They are slanty and there are buildings blocking the way. 
Secondly, we had the opportunity to see a Nebraskan landmark, called the Chimney Rock; it is located in the panhandle of Nebraska. This was even better than I expected. The day was on January 2nd and was absolutely gourgeous--55 degrees and sunny--you can't get better than that in early January! While we were taking pictures of this momentous occasion, the batteries in our camara died and we couldn't find any batteries that worked.
Finally we were able to drive to this neighboring town that had a population of 500 people and we found the right batteries for our camara--Praise the Lord! Then, we went back to this beautiful Nebraskan scene and had our own photo shoot. We praise the Lord for the beauty he has made in Nebraska!
We gathered with people from Taylor, their spouses, relatives and the local small group friends, plus their kids. What a huge group! We had a campfire out back to warm us, inside we had some crazy karaoke fun and we enjoyed the usual treats to tie us over ‘til midnight.
At midnight we held a count-down to bring in 2006, “Ten, nine eight seven….” HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We thank the Lord for an amazing 2005. In just one year I completed my first year of teaching, got engaged and married, and travelled across the Pacific ocean four times. We pray that in 2006 we will seek the Lord dilligently and put Him first in all things as we continue to serve Him.
We woke up early on New Year’s Eve and drove to Loveland to ski with our friends. I was so thankful to Kim that I could borrow all her skiing gear. It wasn’t until I got this picture back that I realized I looked kind of scary in my costume! (I’m the one with no skin showing…watch out skiers, I’m coming down). Thankfully I was very warm and of course got no sun burns.
It feels so great to breathe in the fresh air and swoosh down the mountain on skis. It is also really fun just to ride the lift to the top and see the blanket of sparkling white snow so smoothly sloped. This was my first winter with Nate and my first time skiing with him. It was definitely a joy and gift that we will not soon forget!
Inside the zoo we enjoyed seeing the indoor desert dome, the aquarium with Peter's favorite jelly-fish, and the replica barrier reef that looks similar to the real thing in the Philippines.
Later that night we all enjoyed what was my first 3-D I-max experience. We all watched "The Polor Express" with the funny glasses on. Even Peter tried to reach out and grab the ticket that was flying toward us. What a fun evening of memories!
Later in the afternoon, we drove to Lincoln for an annual tradition. Every year, Jessica's grandparents host the "Sing For Your Supper" extravaganza with the extended family. This was my very first opportunity for a "Sing For Your Supper" experience, so I was very excited and interested in this famous family event. 
My favorite part of "Sing For Your Supper" was near the end of our time together when we sang several Christmas carols together. The women all sang "Away in a Manger" and all the men sang "We Three Kings". We wrapped up the evening by singing "Silent Night" together in the dark--it was beautiful! 
As we left and said good-bye to our relatives and Jessica's grandparents, we had tears in our eyes because we do not know the next time we will be able see them. Even so, we are thankful for this joyous occasion and for the tremendous love in our family!
Jessica and I are amazed how much of a learner Peter is. When we are telling him something, he looks at us and listens intently to every detail. He also was a major help when we unloaded the car on Friday!
And Clara is learning how to stand up and walk. She is growing every day--what a joy it is to watch her develop!
We stuck around in Chicago area on Sunday & Monday, mostly to spend time with my favorite parents in the whole world! But, we also saw some other quality people, like Trisha, Katie, Dave, Barrett, Suzanne, Allison, and Suzanne :) Fun, fun!
On Tuesday, we said goodbye to my parents (sad) and then visited with one of my former professors at Taylor U, at Ivanhoes. Jessica and I also drove around the campus in the snow--how romantic!
Thursday was another day of good-byes and hellos, as we said good-bye to the Schuesslers, Lockes, Callahans, and Gloria. We also picked up a ton of music resources at J.W. Pepper for our music students in the Philippines. 
Then, we were off for Illinois. We stopped in Peoria to visit with Chris and Janelle and their family--it was so good to see them again after so long!
And, yesterday, Friday, we arrived back home again in Nebraska--whippee! Now we are enjoying ourselves before we go with Jessica's family for a fun evening on Christmas eve! 
Ernie has a little workshop in the back yard, which he perfectly organized to make use of every square inch. In the summer he has a little fan that blows cool air on him. In the winter he has a little heater to keep him warm while he carves ornaments with his scroll saw.
Everyone loves to get a letter in the mail, but in the Philippines we do not get to see that symbol of a letter at all: the U.S. postal truck. Ernie took a photo of one and then created his own ornament out of his photo. I call this one his “Ornament of the Year”! 
