On the Road...

it has been almost two years since i made the move back to the bay -- a change in my life that i was weary of, yet ready for. and as i reflect back on what a journey it has been, i am awestruck at the unfolding of His plans for me.

how am i to prepare for tomorrow?

reflect back on yesterday and today...

in the days of yore when i used to live in socal, being a faithful Catholic was easy. it was not devoid of challenges and heartaches, persay, but it was definitely easier to get through life's darkest moments because of what/whom i was surrounded by. sunday's were dedicated to serving at the Holy Mass -- singing, leading, minstering in the highest form of praise possible. if i ever needed to be refreshed in my faith, i had tuesday meetings. felt the need to be with Him? midnight trips to the blessed sacrament were frequent and always with people who understood my need to just be in His presence. the people...how strong the relationships built upon Christ's love really are!

i always talk about how things are so different here. i find myself struggling to go to mass every week. friends are not as readily available to talk to about daily crosses, which seem to be quite a bit heavier nowadays. my tuesday nights are usually spent watching american idol. and yet, as i prepare to conduct our school's prayer service tomorrow morning, i begin to see again the unfolding of His intricate plan.

the road to emmaus...

the story is about how Jesus' friends were not able to recognize Him and He was right in front of their faces the entire time. they walked on the road with Him, chatted a bit, He taught them a thing or two about scripture, and they still could not see. it was not until "He had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread" that their eyes were opened.

it's not as easy for me now to be a faithful servant without all the spiritual ammenities being readily available at my disposal. but i suppose that's the whole point -- being able to recognize Him in everything that i do, all that i say, each person that i meet, the students that i teach. He has been walking on the road with me the entire time. my eyes have just chosen not to see...

for whatever reason, i have been fearful and hesitant to fully let my spiritual leadership side show in front of the entire community, and i know that this can no longer be. this is what i was born for.

do you want to know my most favorite part of the day was today? seeing the kindergarteners, 1st, and 2nd graders lead the rosary with poise, confidence, and child-like spirit. they were the teachers today. the face of God can be no more apparent than in the face of a child.

please pray for our prayer service tomorrow. if log peeps were there they'd be able to sing along with our praises: Open the Eyes, Holy Is His Name, One Bread One Body, & God of Wonders. pray that i have the courage to lead through my actions and my words, and that the children will find the courage to open their eyes and hearts to Him.

May they recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.

it was a good run...

still believin' for next year...

(don't mind my pose in that last one. boozer = soy sauce packs. yikes!)

"i want to fall in love..."

"you want to fall in love with who?"

"i want to fall in love...with you."

"good. cuz i want to fall in love with you."

AHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!


where are the san leon girls when you need them?!

for i know the plans i have for you...

i signed.

...my contract, that is! it is official -- i am remaining at my school for the '07-'08 school year. after much deliberation, consultation, worrying, meditation and prayer i arrived at my decision and i am happy with it. i know that come next year it may be more than i can handle, but this is my path and i'm gonna live it up....

as a VICE PRINCIPAL! =) and a teacher, of course! i'm moving up with my class, so i'll teach 7th grade as well as carry out duties as vp. i'm so excited for this next step in my professional career and am anxious as to what it will bring. and, i am thankful. i know i don't deserve it and that i cannot do it alone...i'm gonna try my best to take a back seat and let Him do the driving.

i told my kids the news and they screamed and cheered. one of them grabbed a tissue because she said she was going to cry! another humble affirmation that this is where i'm supposed to be.

* * *

random thoughts:

- can't wait for this weekend.
- got my Everyday Beauty album by AE from CK and am dying to start.
- i love my CD's from the Phils. especially these two:

















- i have a pile of "to be graded" papers about 3 ft. high.
- didn't know the labels for blogger posts have to be separated by a comma. duh, dee.
- so ready for rally.
- trying to finish my CJ! sorry, babysitters!
- need to post pics from Phils.
- summer is coming so fast...vegas, anyone?

my dear LOG alumni,

REMEMBER WHEN...

...we used to stay at Interfaith 'till 2 o'clock in the morning?
...we would sing praise songs 'till our voices gave out?
...our arms and legs would get tired from all the "roll over the oceans" and "it's you, it's you it's you who builds community"?
...delirium would sink in after the 100th time of rehearsing the skit?
...the tshirts weren't ready until the day of?
...everything seemed to go wrong until the doors opened and everything fell right into its place?

i certainly do! well, it's that time of year, folks...LOG Spirit Rally is literally just around the corner and our beloved Lighters need OUR HELP. "what do they need us to do?" you might be asking yourself. is it money? is it food? in actuality, what they need is something that one cannot put a price on...they need us.

let's rally ourselves together and support Liwanag in this year's spirit rally...

"Taste and See"
Saturday, April 28th
Crystal Cove Auditorium, UCI Student Center
doors open @ 2:30pm, rally begins @ 3:00pm
minimum donation: $5

it has been a while, hasn't it? let's reconnect and catch up, alums! they need our support, and we need to show them that we still care about our ever-growing family.

it would be so refreshing to see everyone again! so, bring your bf's and gf's, your family and friends, your babies, husbands, and wives. bring everyone you know and visit the school and the family that was once so much a part of your lives.

will i see you there?

revived&resurrected.

i am jetlagged. hence, the 1:30am blogging...

my trip to the philippines was, needless to say, amazing. i think two weeks away from the busyness and stress of life here was just what i needed to refresh myself and start anew. it was wonderful. last year's trip back home was bittersweet; my lola had just passed and our purpose for going was solely to be there for my mom and to help out with our responsibilities over there. this year was different. we were able to enjoy it a lot more, talk and bond more with my pinsans, and simply soak in all that the philippines had to offer. on top of that, more of my family members came which made it that much more enjoyable. i wish that my visits there could be more than just once a year. at times i felt like i was making up for lost time when it came to getting to know some of our family over there. no matter how tired or hot or uncomfortable i felt i would try and force myself to endure it all so that i could spend as much time with them as i possibly could. but i suppose this is how it was meant to be, and i can only be grateful that i have had the chance, twice now, to connect with them and begin new relationships that will hopefully last for a long time.

after being immersed in a different culture in a different county for some time, i found myself once again grateful for the things that i have here in america -- freedom, a good job, education, a chance to climb the professional ladder and provide for myself and my future family...and toilet paper. i am also reminded of things that they have that i would like to work on -- respect for my elders, the closeness of my family, and the value of being grateful for each meal i partake in. little reminders that i am sure will allow my life to be that much more fulfilling.

i am still working on getting back into the swing of things. i went into work today with no lesson plan whatsover. in fact, i arrived just after the bell rang! but like i mentioned earlier, i am refreshed and am prepared to wrap up the end of the school year with a BANG!, especially after hearing the wonderful news...my school is staying open for next year! :) yes, we were able to get our numbers up and survive the numerous pitfalls and challenges presented our way and are now preparing to open once again. thank you for your prayers. i still have yet to decide whether or not i am going to stay. there's a lot more that i can't mention on a public blog, but i just want to make sure i make the right decision. i want to work for leaders i believe in. not sure if that'll be the case for next year...

anyways, i think i'll try to get to bed now. i'm not tired, but i guess i'm going to need to force myself so that i can somewhat function tomorrow! more pictures to follow soon...

REVIVED&RESURRECTED. basta...

Jeremiah 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

how appropriate. i hear YOU. thanks for helping me to hear once again, if only for this moment.

look who has a new camera!!!

david bought himself a Nikon D70s. we picked it up from the post office today. he's pretty excited about it. he thinks he's a professional photographer now. ;)

in my head...

i'm having trouble hearing.

the past few weeks have been difficult. i've been going back and forth with decisions and opinions regarding the fate of my job and the issues at my school. so much is going on...and it's all unravelling fast. my faith has been wavering. why is God letting this all happen? i asked that question to one of the sisters at my school and she said, "actually it's not God that's doing it. it's the people." she's right. it's amazing how people can lose sight of what's really important really fast.

what is truth? in the book my 7th graders and i are reading (Monster, by Walter Dean Myers) the main character, Steve, says that "truth is truth." is it really that simple? what if what i believe to be true is not what you believe to be true? then how do we decide? who do we believe? what do we believe? i suppose only God will know. but sometimes, we really need to know, too.

my hair keeps falling out. in chunks. and i started to have PAC's just like david. sometimes i feel like my heart is going to explode and i get nervous for no reason. this has got to stop.

so i am/was having trouble hearing His voice over all of this. it's getting a bit better...slowly. but it's difficult. God's voice used to be one of the only voices i'd hear. i had clarity back then. decisions, though they may have been difficult, were easy to make because i always knew the answer. and the times that i didn't know the answer, i'd have trust. i'm trying to get that back.

in the meantime, this has been helping:



these guys bring laughter into my life. :D

thanks for visiting pt. 2

continuing on...

the coolest picture ever...complete with the coolest people ever.

i call this one, "reflections on BART"

and this one is called "reflections of [mangee] sticky rice"

derrick is picking up on the leggings fad. what a fashionable guy!

pretty kathee

is kirs picking her nose?

at starbucks 'til 3am

thanks for visiting!

david and i absolutely LOVE it when people come up here to visit! it's refreshing to see old faces again and show them around our city. even though we may not be the best hosts/tour guides, we try to provide each visitor with a good time and a memorable experience of the bay. here are some pics from when derrick, kirs, and kathee were up here:

i'm really embarassed at how messy my desk area is!!! =/ looks like miss h. needs to do some major spring cleaning!


good food at the millbrae pancake house!

anybody know where we are?

yup...derrick and kirs' first time on BART. i can't really tell if they're pushing her onto the tracks or saving her from falling over. hmm.... ;)

isn't this a cute picture?! they painted over the heart; it was previously red with a different design.

there are lots more pics (saving the best for last, kirs!) but i'm tired so i'm going to bed. i'll try to post more tomorrow.

tomorrow is yet another day of work. lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change. please let it be a good day. and if it isn't, help me to endure what you bring to the table with a light heart full of love.

i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

good night, moon.

this one's for YOU.

it's been long overdue, but here it is. enjoy, everyone!

does anybody watch SURVIVOR?

i like that show. i always imagine myself on it and getting voted of during the first tribal council. because that's what would happen. i think if i were on an island with em, reg, and fran...only em would survive. she would probably fashion a boat out of banana tree leaves and sail right off the island. i think reg would just spend the whole time crying. i'd probably get allergic reactions to the sun, bugs, sand, and food, and then die. and francia...well, you know how that goes.

i miss you girls.

LENT 2007.

it's here. a time for penitential prayer, life sacrifice, and giving. it's definitely here.

40 days, in the desert, alone. was He scared...lonely...afraid? what did He pray about? what did He think about? did He cry?

the journey is long and the roads, narrow. we are barely a week into lent 2007, and it already feels like it's gonna be a tough one. but, i love this season. how will i know happiness if i first do not experience pain? i am thankful for the difficult journey and the seemingly unending list of things for which to pray: decisions. his heart. grandma PB. teachers. jobs. school. MD. credential. perseverance. love. relationships. new journeys. old friends. death&life. students. journals. hair. birthdays. no meat. sacrifice. basketball. the playoffs. unity. sister. brother. mom. dad. past&present&future. life.

the list goes on and on. but, i am praying for it all. i am praying for you all. and i know He hears me.

* * * * * * * * * *

let it be known that we are NOT engaged. there have been several inquiries lately. the february 1st post is correlated with the february 7th post. and i probably should've been more clear: "we are excited for this new journey in his career." and i said "we" because most people that texted/emailed/called congratulated us both. my apologies for the confusion!

thank you.

gratitude goes out to all those that have sent david and me well-wishes and congratulations. we are both very happy about this new journey. thank you.




miss h: alright, we're going to go around right now and tell our classmates who in our lives is our personal hero.

student a: my parents.

student b: my brother.

student c: you.

congratulations are in order.

guess who is 100% a...




wow. this is so very...wow. david found out, while sitting on the toilet checking on the internet on his sidekick, that he is now officially an R.N. what an awesome accomplishment this is. a year and a half of rigorous school work and months of studying and stressing out has all paid off. and did you know that he already has a job? that's right. my man is a working man now. all is falling into place.

so, congratulations david anthony villanueva, R.N. i am so very proud of you.

this is why

...i became a teacher. i received this email today from my students after being out sick for 2 days:

Hi Miss H!
The 6th grade class misses you and we hope you feel better.

Here are some direct quotes from your dear students:

" I miss you! When are you coming back? It is not as organized without you."

" I miss you so much. The teacher scares me. I hope you feel better."

" Help us!!! We want you back."

" Help Miss. H.
P.S. I'm doing better."

" I really hope you get well and come back to school. Everyone misses you. :( "

" Hi miss Ms. H!!!!"

" Ms. H, I miss you. Please come back."

" I'm in need."

" Please come back you missed two special days from spirit week."

" Come back soon! S.O.S"

" Miss H, Please come back. I miss you, I REALLY miss you."

" Miss H I wish you were here this week. These two days were like a scary movie. Come back soon. You are the best teacher in the junior high in my opinion. See you Soon."


" I think after these past two days I REALLY appreciate your patience and kindness and the talent you have of being a teacher."

Besides 6th grade my sister misses you too.

Please Come back to US!!!!

P.S. C and M want to say they were singing the song " Where'd you go" by Fort Minor.


* * *

affirmations. reminders. motivation to keep on going when it gets tough. carpe diem, everyone!

p.s. are you guys tired of the teacher stories yet??? =P too bad cuz there will be more!!!

buzz.

busy bee this weekend. check out the sched.

saturday:
10-12pm science fair
12-3pm working
3-whenevs bbq for j's going away party

sunday:
9-12pm open house & then some
12:30-5:30 basketball games galore
8pm church



i have to remember to put in a request for vacation in march/april. do we even have that? i'm really super excited about my trip to the philippines. more of my cousins are going, and if my bro gets on the ball with his passport then he'll go, too. not all of my cousins are going though. well, at least they're not sure. we're workin on it. can't wait to see my family again. and i can't believe it's been almost a year since my lola's passing. and what a year it has been.

david's preparing to take his nclex on monday. lots of stress and anxiety around these parts. but if you knew what passing this test meant -- to him, and to us -- you'd be stressed and anxious, too.

if you're looking to watch a movie this weekend, watch FREEDOM WRITERS. coaches watch COACH CARTER, football players watch RUDY, females in the service watch G.I. JANE, cleaning ladies watch MAID IN MANHATTAN, old single people watch 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN...

and teachers watch FREEDOM WRITERS.

in a perfect world, this movie would be true. oh, wait a minute! it's a true story! =) that's right, folks...it really happened. and it means that stuff like that really happens. one day, i hope to make that much of a difference.

it's been a long, long time.

oh, blogging. how i miss thee. i remember when we all first started blogging way back when. i remember being so excited when i told chris lindz and he was like, "blogging? that's so 1990's."

so far 2007 has proved to be...busy. and busy i think it'll be for the remainder of the year. it has been nonstop since new year's. there are days when i am so incredibly overwhelmed that when i get home, all i can do is lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling for hours on end. my hair's even falling out by the handful. i'm that drained. i suppose much of it is my fault -- not knowing exactly how to manage my time well or be productive enough during the daytime. teaching is draining. but i love it.

on a more positive note, something that has been nursing me through all of this is the bscottj's! seriously? seriously! it's quite therapeautic and such a wonderful release. the downside to all the art is that it's so expensive-O! i know it doesn't have to be, but i'm addicted.

i've been watching american idol lately and it has been quite entertaining. i agree with the critics who say that the judges are meaner this time around. but that's television for ya. what do they expect? they want people to watch, don't they?

back to teaching (because that's what my life consists of nowadays). i had a problem with some of my students staggering into class 5 minutes after the bell, so i would shut the door and lock it at an appropriate time. anyone left outside the door would have to suffer a "consequence," which usually consisted of doing a song or a dance or acting of some sort. one of my students chose to do a dance. he imitated michael jackson and started pelvic thrusting the air. bad idea, miss h. needless to say, they don't come late to class anymore. chalk one up for ma'am.

anyone wanna go to ny? $99 one way from jetblue! you have to fly from sfo, though. just an idea...

love is in the air.

this will be a quickie...

i'm here at school during my one and only prep time during the week and i am using these precious moments to blog. i gave my 8th graders and assignment yesterday and it was to read King's "I Have a Dream" speech and highlight parts that moved and/or inspired them, or write down questions they had while reading. i went around the room checking to see if they did the assignment. one of my students presented a blank sheet -- nothing highlighted, no notes, no nothing.

"Ok class, I see that most of you have done the assignment correctly and completed what I asked of you -- thank you."

"Uh, sorry Miss H, I didn't highlight anything because I thought that the whole speech was inspirational and if I highlighted, it would take up too much ink."

these kids will think of anything to get them out of trouble.


in other news, my observation went suuuuuper well! so excited and thankful!!! =)


better post to come later...

Happy Tuesday!