Here is another mention of Gunner, the current Dean of Men at TMC. It seems that he is doing a series at Master's on college and real life. He says that many people view their college years as not counting towards the rest of life. Gunner says that many people live as if these years will not count, that God will not hold them accountable because these years aren't real life, they're just practice.
False.
God will hold us accountable for every day, which is a sobering thought, to say the least.
Gunner goes on to say that we need to be practicing now for real life. Even though I have graduated from college, I still am in this preparation period as I get my credential and am learning from others. Soon I will be responsible for my own students' education, but not quite yet.
Any way, Gunner made the point that the training is not any less real than the performance, it is only different. A person cannot leave college or a credential program and expect to be successful and effective if he or she has not be living with the real life mindset all along. The following quote really struck me:

"The best performers are the best practicers. The best presenters are the best preparers. The best competitors are the best conditioned. The best soldiers are the best boot-campers. Those who are diligent in private are influential in public."

I was convicted by these blog posts. I can't go back and change those 4 years, but I can change this semester as I teach 2 more weeks in high school and 8 in junior high. I can choose to live in the present while still looking to the future, and I can make decisions accordingly. I'll end with a few question I sometimes have in the back of my mind when I hear people talk about their future plans:

What are you doing now to prepare for that? How can you shape your character and your skills now for that future dream? It will be here before you know it; are you ready?

Yearly Tradition

It's my yearly tradition: Time to reference the fact that I was in Jericho, Israel/the West Bank on Valentine's Day 3 years ago now. Here are my other posts from 1 year ago and 2 years ago.
And of course, I have pictures to go with this. :)

The view of Jerusalem from the east from Nebi Samwil. You can tell it is Jerusalem because of the three towers on the horizon. They are located on the Mount of Olives and visible for miles.

Wheat growing in Benjamin

Drawing water out of a cistern at the entrance to Michmash and Geba, where Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed up and killed a lot of Philistines.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that dirt hill is Jericho. I was very disappointed when I saw it. It is a very small dirt hill. However, God really did bring it down, so that's cool.

When I think about how far I've come, how much I've done, how much I've grown in the last 3 years that passed like a nanosecond, I can't help but be grateful that God doesn't let His children stay stagnant. At times I get down about where I am in life and what is going to happen with my future, but since God was faithful to bring me to my today, He will be faithful to bring me to my future.

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

-I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Adventure

In case you don't know, I'm a big fan of adventure. I love the definition: a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful) . While my adventures don't usually ;) fall in the wild or unlawful categories, I still like doing things out of the ordinary. It's generally more fun with another person, even if that person thinks my ideas are a little too crazy. Oh well, God gave us friends for a reason! :)

Adventure in NorCal...

My poor shoes got very dirty...they're okay now, though...

In order to have a good adventure, you need the proper footwear...or no footwear... :)

Topanga Canyon Hike, looking down on Santa Monica

Trying to get to China through a pipe...didn't work too well

Hopping in fountains gets you some funny looks... ;)

Slumdog

So I went and saw "Slumdog Millionaire" with my friends Michelle, Jenni, and Mandy last night. It was awesome! For those of you who don't know about the movie, it is about a boy, Jamal, who grows up in the slums of Mumbai and eventually gets on the biggest game show in India, "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire." He advances to the final round but is accused of cheating. However, he didn't cheat; he knows all the answers to the questions because of several isolated events in his past. You follow the events of his past and learn about his love, a girl named Latikah. I won't give away the ending. ;)
Any way, I really enjoyed it! I have to warn you that it was rated R for some language and some scenes of torture (not intense or bloody, though, thankfully).
I really enjoyed the cinematography with its portrayal of intense colors and many different classes of people in India. I thought it captured the dirtier side of a third-world country. And yes, I still want to go. One of my favorite parts was when Jamal and his brother Salim look up to see the Taj Mahal and think they have reached heaven, or at the least, a 5-star hotel!
I also caved in and bought the soundtrack on Amazon.com. Kat is already addicted, and I am so excited for it arrive on Wednesday! Oh, and if you want to listen to one of my favorite songs from the movie, click here to listen on youtube. :D

Mumbai. Taj Mahal. Agra. New Delhi. Varanasi. I can't wait for the day when I can visit and see these places for myself...

Plethora of Topics

I have a lot of things to say...Feel free to comment or just to read (since you, Reader, seem to do the latter on a consistently boring basis ;) ).

I like teaching, but I wish all students were at the Honors level. It is sad to me that American students can't even follow simple instructions and maintain the flow of ideas from day to day. "What is this again? Okay, so what is that?" Oh dear, you are going to be in serious trouble when you get to college.

Being in love and love are two different things. I think that being in love depends on feelings and day-to-day things. It is temperamental. Love, true love, is that state of being in which you care deeply for that other person and give yourself for him/her/them, no matter what. You may not always feel it, but it is a choice. "I am going to love this person, and that will never change." Both are necessary in a marriage, but being in love without actually loving the person will result in disappointments and disillusionment and possibly bitterness. Loving the person without being in love will result in toleration rather than enjoyment. At least in my opinion. It makes sense to me...hopefully it does to you as well. I'm trying to figure out a way to tell you, Reader, that I don't want this to be construed in any way to have some hidden message about my past. But maybe someone out there is wondering about the distinction between the two; this is just my opinion. Any thoughts?

I am really wondering what I should do next year. My school district has a hiring freeze, but I do not know about the school districts up north. I don't necessarily want to move north, even though I love it and my family is there. I have a few months to decide/figure it out/pray about it. We shall see.

I brought one of my professors to tears with a picture of my family (all thirteen of us!).

Photography is one of my favorite things. I am constantly noticing cool things and trying to think of ways to get good shots of them. This usually occurs while I'm driving. I have to restrain myself not to pull off the road to take pictures, though sometimes I give in, but not on the way to school. How would I explain that one?

Some day I WILL see the Taj Mahal in person. The trip might just have to be later rather than sooner. And I will post pictures to prove it.