and 1.

congratulations, varsity royals. this is only the beginning...

raindrops on roses...

Friday = win
Saturday (2) = win, win
Sunday championship = ?

here we go...get your head in the game.

stay tuned for tomorrow's update.






good job, coach. so proud of you.

last week i was standing in front of my students in line and saw them whispering and staring at me. when they saw me stare back i heard one of them say, "tell her!"

student: Miss H., you look like a pirate today.
me: (looking down at my gray capris, boots, and white long-sleeved shirt) a pirate?! yuck!
student: um, don't worry...more like a kiera knightly pirate, not a johnny depp pirate.
me: oh, ok...i guess that's good.
student: trust us, it is.


kids these days...

***


i need to go to church more. and, i can't wait for advent and christmas to come. rain, cold air, lights and trees, pageants and carols...and JESUS.

HE's coming...are you ready?

giving thanks.

so much to give thanks for this year. my family who continues to love, friends that continue to care, the love of my life who never gives up trying to make our relationship stronger...

and through it all i keep reminding myself that God is the reason for my life's happiness. knowing that it could all be taken from me in the one breath, i work hard in trying to never take any of it for granted.

thank YOU.

in the news...

as the air grows colder and raindrops become more frequent, life in the bay area continues to move with the weather.

i am steadily approaching the 3-month mark of being a teacher, and what a ride it has already been! still working late nights at school, continuing to say "yes" to duties and projects i should probably refuse, and trying my best to take in the experience and continue to believe in what i do. the most intruiging outcome of this whole thing thus far has been the realization of God's intricate plan for my life. who would have known that the very same activities i loved while in irvine would continue to be a part of my daily life over here. adoration with my students during first friday's, singing praise songs with the youth choir, praying the rosary as a school, leading faculty prayers, and bringing jesus into my daily classroom culture -- it all makes sense now. and i am moved.

even david is doing his own little part to change the world. okay, so maybe being a basketball coach to 8th graders isn't changing the world per se, but it is definitely changing the small worlds of each of those guys on the team. they come to class tired and sore, complaining that they didn't have time to do their homework because they were playing ball all night. but david is enjoying it, the kids are learning, and the parents look on in awe. so do i.

we just celebrated my mom and dad's birthday's two weeks in a row and are beginning to prepare for my brother's birthday next week. i may be so broke that i won't have enough money for christmas! speaking of christmas, my sister and i have decided on a more modern theme for this year's decor. the blues, greens, purples, and silvers of target really caught our eye and it's going to be beautiful. my brother isn't so sure, however. his exact comments were something along the lines of, "um, did you know it's christmas and NOT easter?!" let's hope people don't get confused.

yes, things are definitely moving in a steady, forward direction. as this year begins to come to its close, i feel good about the change, the growth, the inspiration that continues to be a part of my life. yesterday's homily talked about being holy in your calling -- that you and i are called to live out our "status," whatever it may be, as holy and as faithfully as possible. it reminded me of something blessed mother teresa said about acceptance -- how we should just accept whatever God lays down on our path, not because it's there but because HE put it there. not only should we accept, but we should accept it with a SMILE.

i think that makes all the difference.

DANCE to the music...

this was fun! thanks, kirs!

from my PURCHASED playlist...
(and, yes. i did actually pay money for these songs.)

1. How am I feeling today?
Honor and Glory – David Bauer (piano instrumental!)

2. Will I get far in life?
I Surrender All – Music for Piano Lovers (ah, let’s hope so.)

3. How do my friends see me?
Step Up – Samantha Jade (you step up I’ll step up too!)

4.Where will I get married?
I Am – Mark Schultz (oh really?)

5.What is my best friend's theme song?
Pon de Replay – Rihanna (what is this song even about?!)

6.What is the story of my life?
Come Clean – Hilary Duff (oh yes. hilary duff DOES, indeed, occupy a space in my place list.)

7.What was high school like?
I Will Be Here – Gary Valenciano (tomorrow morning if you wake up…)

8.How can I get ahead in life?
By Your Side – Hillsong (exactly.)

9.What is the worst thing about me?
Shout to the Lord – David Bauer (um, ok.)

10.What was today like?
I See the Lord – David Bauer

11.What is in store for this weekend?
Place in this World –M.W.S. (roaming through the night to find my place…)

12.What song describes my parents?
Me & U – Cassie (hmm. i don’t know whether to think this is cute or gross.)

13.How is my life going?
Hold Me Down – Danity Kane

14.What song will they play at my funeral?
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake (take note of this, please.)

15.How does the world see me?
Make Me Whole – Amel Larrieux

16.Will I have a happy life?
Stay With Me – Danity Kane (if he stays with me my life will definitely be happy.)

17.What do my friends really think of me?
Pump It – Black Eyed Peas (haha!)

18.Do people secretly lust after me?
Just the Girl – Click Five (oohh…just the girl i’m lookin for!)

19.How can i make myself happy?
Maunaleo – Keali’i Reichel (this is a song about mountains in Hawaii. so…i should go to Hawaii?)

20.What should I do with my life?
Breathe (2AM) – Anna Nalick (yes. thanks for the reminder.)

21.What will the person you marry be like?
Thy Word – Piano Instrumental

22.Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Press Pause – Danity Kane

23.Will you have a fulfilling life?
Bless the Broken Road – Rascal Flatts (i hope so.)

24.How will you die?
I The Lord of Sea and Sky (:D)

birthday WEEKEND.

this weekend was wonderful. i always envisioned having an extravagant birthday bash for my quarter-century birthday -- you know, surrounded by all my friends at the club or on a yacht for a cruise around the bay (ahem). that's the kind of stuff you hear everyone doing for their 25th. my entrance into the "mid-twenties," however, wasn't as crazy as i had thought it would be.

as the clock struck midnight i was sitting in the car, driving around sf with david and my friends trying to look for parking. we partied at a place called dragon bar and danced to some hip-hop and 80's beats. we were the only ones in the club that sang along to "poison"...i thought everyone knew that song?! the next day, my real birthday, was filled with errands. david drove me around the entire day as i ordered my cake, attended my students' volleyball game, took care of some stuff at school, got my eyebrows done, and picked up food for my party. we then drove 2 hours to sacramento to meet up with my family to celebrate. my mom and aunts and uncles really worked hard at cooking all the food and preparing. it really was the best way to spend my birthday -- surrounded by everyone i love. what more could a girl ask for?

i thought that if i wasn't going to party it up at the club i might as well party hard with the fam. turning 25 was my excuse for getting drunk in front of my family, and no one really opposed. heck, some of my uncles even joined in! grey goose and silver patron...mmmmmmm.

gathered around the table of plenty


first shot of the night. i even made david take one!


i think we're on #3 at this point


david, what are you doing? (this is david after one shot of tequila...)


the real dee is coming out now (this is dee after 3 shots of tequila...)


this is definitely going to be in the slideshow guys


family bonding is fun


thanks to everyone who celebrated with me and for all the texts, calls, and emails i received. sometimes you can't help feel as though you're forgotten once you leave, and it's nice to know that people still care about little old me. :) i am truly grateful. i even got 2 calls from gian! one to say thanks for the cards, and another to say "sorry i didn't tell you happy birthday when i first called you but i forgot and just checked my planner and had to buy another phone card to call you." that guy cracks me up.

thanks, God, for a great birthday and another year of life.

small acts of great LOVE.

during college, i never thought i'd ever be as busy as i was during my LOG days. countless sleepless nights preparing for concerts, rallies, meetings, and retreats...staying up late to study for midterms and finals (the only two times during the quarter when i studied)...or spending a few hours of spontenaity with the girls. my life was busy then. but nothing could have prepared me for the busyness of being a teacher.

i wake up in the morning and begin mentally preparing for the day. then i go to school and attempt to inspire and educate the masses. inbetween my teaching i busy myself with tasks that would usually be done by other staff at the school, but since we don't have enough people on staff, everyone has to pick up slack. after school i can be found a.) facilitating the school paper meeting, b.) helping with student council, c.) directing the children's choir, d.) working on the yearbook, or e.) tutoring, all the while entertaining parents' concerns about their children. i'm the last to leave school at around 5 or 5:30pm. when i get home i eat, talk to David and my family, and begin grading the 130 pieces of paper/worksheets/essays and various student work i have every night (65 students x 2 pieces of work per student). i go to bed thinking about how my students are doing in class and what i am going to teach the next day. despite all of this, i am loving what i do.

we are learning about Saints this week, and i told my kids that Saints were ordinary people who did things with extraordinary love. i have to remind myself to be like the Saints...

one day last week i talked to my students about a friend of mine who needed prayers. i asked my kids if they could do me a favor and help me help him. so, my 18 sixth graders made cards with inspring notes inside of them for my friend. some drew pictures of jets and planes, others drew men dressed in camoflauge with big thick glasses, and some even cut out different color designs to make them look pretty. after the kids turned them in, i commented on how beautiful they were, not yet knowing the beauty that rested within. i read the cards that brought tears to my eyes, and thanked God for sending me students that continually teach me about what love is. here are some of my favorites...

*note: names are ommited for fear of one of my kids searching for our names and finding me!


Dear Mr. A,

I hope you are doing well in boot camp. I admire those who sacrifice their lives to serve their country. I appreciate what you are working for and I will keep you and the rest of your troops in my prayers. Salamat pos a ginagawan ‘yo. Lahat ng ginagawa n’yo ay nata tulong samin. God bless you. =) P.S. Sorry for sp. errors in my tagalog!



Dear Mr. A,

I hope you are doing well at your boot camp. I admire your courage and determination to do such a hard job. I will pray for your safety and wish you luck.

I am in Miss H’s class and my name is J. Miss H explained a little about you and she encouraged us to write letters to you. Thank you for reading this letter. I hope you succeed at your training. Take Care.



Dear Mr. A,

I hope you’re not feeling too bad there. I know it’s really heard at boot camp but if you want to join the Air Force you have to deal with it. Once you’re done you can join and I’ve heard it’s a fun job. People say you get a good feeling knowling you’re one of the people who’s protecting American citizens from terrorists.

I hope you enjoy your career in the Air Force. Try your best always and everywhere. Make sure as many pilots come back as possible.



Dear Mr. Anaclento,

I wish you good luck at bootcamp. Miss H, my homeroom teacher, told me about it. I would like to know when you have to sleep and when you have to wake up. And I would also like to know what kind of things you do at bootcamp.

Everyone here at school is praying for you. The person who misses you the most is probably Miss H.

triple red hot seven.

though i hesitate to say it (because i know as soon as i utter the words, things will change!) things have finally started to calm down around here. for the past month and a half i have been pretty much disconnected from the outside world -- with the outside world being anything other than teaching. my life has consisted of grading, lesson plans, teaching, administration drama, and the building up of a school that is in desparate need of change. inspite of all this i love what i am doing and i continue to strive for better things, not for myself, but for those whom i serve. more to come on that subject later...

what i really wanted to blog about was this weekend. my familly, david, and i took a mini-vacation to viva las vegas! my dad got elected president of his filipino association and was inducted into office this weekend -- they held the festivities in vegas because there are a good number of members that reside there. so, we all took a plane ride over and had lots of fun with big sticks and margaritas, wheel of fortune, and of course, shopping. the timing was perfect since derrick was there with his family, too. we didn't party it up too much, but i was satisfied with the much needed relaxation and fun. it was simply rejuvinating to be around family without having to worry about my students (though i did bring along 3 large manila folders for grading...haha!). yay for family!

one of my good friend's gave me some awesome advice after i vented to her about how stressed out i was with being a first-year teacher. she said that it is a major stress reliever if you simply take the time to see your friends at least 6 times a month. i've employed this piece of advice lately and i must say it has worked wonders. i am finding it easier to get through the week, and i think i have less pimples because of it, too!

speaking of friends, i will regretfully admit that i have been such a bad friend since i embarked on this new journey in my life. i have not made the time to be a better friend to those whom i truly miss, and i am sorry for taking you all for granted. thank you for all the texts, comments and voicemail messages. thank you for the prayers. i miss you all, i am praying for you all, and i am definitely trying to keep in touch more. thanks for understanding.

and to two very special foo's in my life:

to my one-to-one big stick drinking buddy...thanks for the nice conversation during the car ride. it felt really good catching up with you. i really am praying for you...for the wisdom to follow the path you were made to follow. it'll happen...getting the job, seeing the world, and finding the one. (in that order.) hope to see you up here soon!

and, no, david...i didn't forget about you. thank you for never failing to be my number one support. i have survived this first month and a half because of you...

behold the handmaid of the Lord

be it done to me according to your will...

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
-Ephesians 4:1-6

let's do this.

off the screen

does anyone know how to post videos on blogger?!?! i humbly implore your help as i have quite THE VIDEO to show.

wave hi to the camera!

oh man, i'm dying of laughter...

dude, my dad has a blog.



in other news, i started fixing up my classroom today!!! there's lots to do and so much to clean and organize! some of my future students were at school helping out so i got to meet them. already some interesting comments came about:

- "so...you wear dunks? cool. got the fantastic 4's?"

- "hollister...cool."

- "you're not gonna leave are you? all the young teacher's we ever get leave eventually."

- "how old are you?"

- "you gotta watch out for all the gossip around here. it get's bad sometimes."

- "you're cool."

and my ultimate favorite:

- "see! i told you her name was ms. haw!!! you know, like 'haw, haw, haw'!!!" (ugh, flashbacks to gradeschool. perhaps i should stick with ms. h?)

i was there for about 5 hours and made just a small dent in what i have to do. i'm trying to figure out a way to paint the walls without having to move everything. AND i'm having a hard time deciding what colors to use!!! oh well...perhaps i'll peruse through the new ikea catalog to get some ideas.

i'm really excited for our visitors to come up here!!! i hope we do sf justice and that you guys won't be bored. bring jackets...it's a bit chilly!

thoughts running around in the mind of dee:

- i love sushi
- planning units takes a lot of time
- 26 days until i start teaching
- 3 days till i get to play
- 5 days till my sissy comes home! :)
- mother teresa and jpII are my homies
- i miss you, lola
- "myspace is the foreground for virtual bopperness," said my brother.
- "our house is too small," I said. "at least you have a house," replied my mom.
- did you know that you can take a regular #2 pencil and make a line 35 miles long before it runs out of lead? thank you, cranium.
- lay off the crack, david
- www.catholicsforthecommongood.org
- "do as i say, not as i did..."
- sometimes i get sad and/or feel regretful about things i did and/or went through when i was a kid. and i feel like i want to shield my younger cousins from those kinds of experiences. my brother called me a pioneer. didn't feel so bad after that...
- i want to go to europe
- i had a day out with two nuns a few weeks ago. what an experience...
- is it smart to go on a retreat the weekend before i start teaching?
- singing...oh how i miss thee.
- i also miss reg and em.
- i am addicted to iced caramel machiatto's
- @ a starbucks down south: "hi, may i have a grande iced caramel machiatto, blended, please?" said me. "you're from up north, aren't you?" said the barista.
- my little cousin, stephanie, is starting to "talk" to this guy she likes and my bro and other cousin (her kuya) are continually interrogating her. usually, the investigations go something like this:
my brother: "what kind of shoes does he wear?"
steph: "i don't know! i don't look at his shoes!!!"
steph's kuya: "STOP LOOKING AT HIS FACE!!!"
...the consequence of having overprotective family members.
- yesterday i had a bubble in my eye
- can't wait for Philippines 2007
- sometimes i get scared that i won't be the teacher He wants me to be
- wanna go to BS
- my family is really into having picnics @ rinconada right now
- drama usually isn't fun, but sometimes it really is
- there are babies everywhere!!! hurray for little miracles!!!
- finally got to running 5 miles without stopping...long way to go till 13.1
- i'm really broke right now
- Ephesians 4:1-6
- malachi and micah...i think they'll work, david
- ilovedavid
- lots of friends that are about to go off and do lots of big things...i'm so very proud of you guys

***

the dioneda gangsta golfers

- oh yeah, langston hughes = awesome.

unto us a child is born...

and SHE shall be called

Baby Mik-Mik!!!

congratulations

Mike & Reen

and

welcome to the WORLD

baby girl mik-mik

may your life be blessed with much faith, hope, and LOVE

can't wait to meet you...

wanna hang?

arriving at 6:45pm. having dinner with the guru. available to play till noon on friday.

call me!!! :)

4th of july FUN.

had a nice picnic...

lost to the boys in volleyball. the consequence? line up and get hit by water balloons...execution style.

before the firing began the girls tried to talk their way out of it...

didn't work. and apparently 3 out of the 4 boys had a plan to just hit ME with the balloons, but this is what happened:

boys: yeah, we tried to hit you, like, 3 times but the balloons kept bouncing off your a**!

me: well, sorry i have a body of steel...

boys: uh, actually if you had a body of steel, the steel would have ripped those water balloons up.

me: oh, yeah. nevermind.

so we got wet and had a water fight. 'twas FUN...

watched fireworks over the water. by far the closest i've ever been to fireworks in my life...david even got hit in the eye with one of the sparks. naw, just kidding. but he almost did...

to my dancing partner...

*edit* ;)




i think my first memories of you were when i simply thought of you as the guy from nubes who always followed joe around. then remember that night when i ran out of my apartment and you chased after me and talked to me 'till around five o'clock in the morning? our relationship changed then! nowadays you have become less of a friend....and more of a brother. i mean it when i say that i am proud of who you've become. i think sometimes i don't give you enough credit for how great of a leader you really are. there were days when i know you never thought of yourself as one, but if you look at the people around you now i know that each one of them can atest to how you've touched their lives. as for me, your presence in my life is a constant reminder of the type of friend and sister i aspire to be to others.

happy birthday, gian...go fly into the blue.


p.s. did you know that you have the same name as my hero, giovanni paulo II? coincidence? i think not...

oh, how i miss thee!

i miss the old krew, too.

* older and fatter, yet still HOT! ...kinda.

taking over

so today was my first official day of student teaching. at first i was a bit annoyed that i had to do student teaching still because that's pretty much what i did all school year last year but they couldn't count it because it was a "job" or whatever. but i'm trying hard to look at it with new eyes and just be grateful i'm getting more experience in the classroom. after this summer, i will have actually had experience teaching a bit in every single grade except 4th and 8th! i'm in a 2nd/3rd grade combo class right now and my master teaching had this emergency thing she had to take care of smack in the middle of class so i actually led the class for the rest of the afternoon. talk about just throwing you in there!!! luckily, i survived. we'll see how the rest of the time goes...

* * *

franny: moving to so cal? hmm....maybe one day! so is the alchemist appropriate for middle school? maybe 7th or 8th? i've never read it. i think august is perfect...let me know.

guru G: hi. i miss you, too. i really like that picture as well...so much, in fact, that i put it in my scrapbook. wanna come visit my class? you can teach music!!!

gian: hello gian. it's ok for not calling me back...you made up for it last night. and it's ok about the happiest race on earth...though, you better be there to cheer me on. unless you are gone by then. which, in that case, mabye i'll send you my medal. maybe. see you up here soon!

kirsten: hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! i know i miss you already, too! did you get my text a few weeks ago? every time i see the new MAC collection (you know the one that's in teal cases) i think of you....SO your style! i better see you up here soon!

just because they're CUTE.

happy anniversary, mommy and daddy! we ate dinner at black angus...it was nice.










cousin time. this summer has been all about the cousin time. we spend a lot of eat playing sequence and eating snow cones at the park. i love.







jei didn't want to take this picture because he didn't wanna look like tourists. oh well! we had a good time with jei as OUR tour guide...good eats at tempura house. fun times.








these were taken at their preschool...they had a multicultural day so the cousins + david went and performed filipino folk dances and hula/ori tahiti for everyone. i was the emcee and afterwards people came up to my cousin and asked, "is she a teacher?" go figure.

ah...they're growing up so fast. but they're interacting a lot more with me now so it's nice. can't wait to see what kind of people they grow up to be.






AWESOME times at the giants v. a's game last sunday...even though we lost. we played sucky, too. memento from the game: a burnt nose and forehead. ouch.

upon you rests my favor.

i guess it's about time for me to blog.

since my last entry which was like, lightyears ago, lots has happened and lots more is going on! i can sum it all up in three words: life is good.

lola's 40th day death anniversary. we celebrated mass and all went well. i even put on my old choir director hat and led my dad, uncle, and cousins in song! it was a good experience and i'm so proud to say that i have a very dedicated and talented family. my bro even accompanyed us on the piano and david was on the guitar. the priest sang along, so i guess that was a good sign. anyways, lola is now finally at rest with the Lord and the air surrounding her death is peaceful.

vegas2006. you know, vegas (like san diego) never fails me. i had a blast. the perfect mixture of old and new...dancing, toasting, shopping, gambling, family time and being one with nature. i'd post more pictures but i'm afraid i'd get in trouble. ah what the heck...here are the clean (and not so clean) versions:

graduating class of 2006. the youngest member of the immediate dioneda clan has graduated from 8th grade. what a milestone! i look back at old pictures and can't believe how much she's grown into a young hollister-wearing pinay bopper. just kidding. she's not a bopper. but she does wear hollister. her 8th grade class president speech made me cry. i'm so proud of her...she got soooo many awards that i ran out of tape on my video camera. wow.

UCI graduating class of 2006. sorry i couldn't be there. but i prayed for y'all. how exciting it is to begin your journey into adulthood! watch out, it sucks...only at first. then, it turns out to be not so bad. but enjoy your non-working status while you can. trust me.

spiritual journey. took a seminar class entitled the catholic school teacher's spiritual journey. didn't exect it to be so wonderful. i was in a room full of catholic school principals and administrators, and one of the things that stuck out to me was FAITH. lack of faith, full of faith, a faith renewed. i wonder how many people actually stop to ponder about where they are in their faith...where they are in terms of their relationship with Jesus. at the end of the class we were asked to bless each other with a gift we would like each to receive. i blessed them all with the gift of faith.

dwtlLA. answered prayers & little miracles. i love.

teaching. i got a job!!! i actually found out a month or so ago but it hasn't really sunk in yet. i'll be teaching at a k-8 catholic school less than 10 minutes away from my house and i'll be in middle school! yikes! i have 6th grade homeroom, 6-7-8 english and literature. wowmomwow. i'm excited, yet nervous at the same time. the principal of the school is a sister of st. paul from the philippines! i'm hoping this fact will aid in my request to take a few days off in april so i can go back to the philippines. we will see! i'm just beginning to plan my curriculum...anyone have any good suggestions for literature units?

up north. (when) are you guys coming?

1/2 marathon. i haven't been training as much as i should. the farthest i've gone is 5 miles and the race is 13 miles...i have a long way to go. i probably would be more motivated if i knew that SOME PEOPLE were going to join me but i guess that's not happening. oh well. c'est la vie. grrr....

on another note...my spirituality class talked about being holy and something that was said really stuck with me. this is the place where you and i are supposed to be holy...right now. not down the road after i've been a catholic teacher for ten years...not when i get married and become a wife and mother...right now. spirituality is about who you are in the present moment.

who YOU are is already holy...blessed.

think about that.