Hi there!

Okokokokok....

So where were we? Work's still work. My commission is going up as I do more. The more I do the more comfortable I feel. But I still have a looooong way to go. I miss having a camera; mine died so I'm looking to get a new one eventually. I want an SLR but those are not cheap. I might spring for one after Thanksgiving and do the whole "investment" thing. Because if I stay in this field I have to start investing in the proper equipment. And starting at some point I wanna take classes too. But why must things require money?!?!?!? Cuz I also am going to need a new computer soon and am reeeeeelly wanting to go to India over Easter (to meet up with Jess and Holly and Lisa Walker from Korea). Meh, the Lord'll provide if I'm supposed to get/do these things.

Um, other things...I've got a place to live! I'm moving in this week with a girl from church. Stephanie is the same age as I am and is an engeneer. She works with the teens and I'm actually hoping to start working with them eventually myself.

I've decided to give away my cat. Right now I'm too "unsettled" to have an animal and if something were to happen to him and he'd need some kind of medical help I could not afford to take care of him. Practically, pragmatically, now's just not the time. I'm good with that decision, really. I've found a shelter that I want to take him but it's like an hour away they have hours that don't line up with my hours at the studio. I'm hoping to take him next week on my day off.

It's getting nice and cool and fall-y here! Yay! I love this time of year...if only I had a camera to take pics of it...

Thats all for now.

Provisions

So I'm not even going to apologize for not really posting lately cuz "real" posts are so few and far between I am starting to begin all of 'em with an apology so we'll just get right into it 'k?

Work is still pretty cool. I am still looking for other jobs (second job or a full time one) but so far nothing. My sales are going up and I feel like I'm getting better at the photography part too. I actually had my first repeat customer a while back. I had gotten some girls (two sisters and a friend) to come in so I could practice on them. They did not get anything then but the next day the friend came back with her mom and sister! She made them come from an hour away to get "real" pictures done. Then they spent about $400. Made me happy. I've had a few other good shoots and sales lately but none that come as immediately to mind. I did however do a shoot for a lady who was graduating from some random Bible College with a masters in Urban Ministry. We got to talking and she was so sweet! During the whole conversation she'd interject with "Praise Jesus" and "I call on Jesus power to be with you." (She was black). At the end (after I had told her my story of Korea and getting here etc.) she said "I wanna plant a seed and you have to let me ok?" I wasn't really sure what she was going to do and was half expecting her to give me a mustard seed or something. But she didn't; she gave me $120!! Made me cry. When I told her I could not accept it she insisted that I keep it. "This morning I was at the health club and it was just me and God and I asked Him to let me be a blessing to someone today. I almost did not come to get my pictures done but something told me to come and I think you are the answer to my prayer." Other people have been generous and given me money too (cheques in the mail etc). God's providing.

Another way God's provided is through housing. I had a place to stay through the end of the month of July (Rebecca had gotten married and her lease on her apartment was out at the end of the month she said I could stay there rent free!). I've been attending an a.ma.zing. church (more on them in a second) and a couple in the church knowing that I was looking for a place to live offered me a place to stay with them for the time being. Again, free. So I'll be living with the Kraays until about October. Sadly I can't have Mac with me as David Kraay is allergic to cats but Rebecca and Bill offered to take him, so again, God is providing. According to Rebecca he's made himself right at home. He knew Rebecca because of living with her that week or so before the wedding and knew her cats. Apparently he's starting to warm up to Bill.

Ok. Church. This church is so amazing it almost warrants a seperate post...but I shall just put it with this one and make this a nice long juicy post. (=

I've been going to Rebecca's church in Schaumberg. It's a PCA church and such a wonderful body of believers. I've not been to a church like this in ages. I'm pretty sure Shiloh (the church my family attended in Georgia) was like this but when you're a teen nothing much like this sticks ya know? I attended two churches in Greenville; one for three years and one for two and the preaching was good but that was it. Fourth in Minnesota is an interesting situation; it's huge and I've not even gone a years worth of Sundays. I'd go and stuff when I'm visiting my parents but never felt connected. When I got back from Korea and was trying to figure out what to do next no one was helpful beyond the very unhelpful "Praying for you" pat on the head and send me on my way. A lot of times I felt like people would talk to me out of "duty" if that makes any sense. Um, hello I've just moved back across the globe, and have no job. Prayer is nice but do you know of any job leads?

But this church....wow...again...wow. My first Sunday there I had a few people come up to me to tell me that they recognized me from Rebecca's Facebook and they had wanted to meet me. Then others would just come up to me and welcome me to the church and want to know how I got there and all sorts of things about me. One couple told me that most of the church would go out for lunch after the service and that they hoped that I would join them. Pretty sure in that one service I was made more welcome than I was in 3 weeks of attending my parents church in MN and Fourth knows me. Only like five people in this church had any idea of who I was yet they still made me feel loved and welcomed. The next week I was there again and was talking to the ones that I had met and mentioned that I had gotten the photography job. A man was walking by (whom I had not yet met) and said "Oh! You got that job! Good, I was praying for you!" Several were like "You need another job? I know [of these places that are] hiring." Others said that they were looking into different places for me to live (this was before the Kraays offered me a place). Over and over again this church has shown that they live their Christianity. They are not at all just "Sunday Christians". Their lives are overflowinf with Grace and they can't wait to share it. The preaching is good too tho I've yet to hear the Sr. Pastor (he's on Sabbatical until the begining of August.). The pastor I have heard is excellent, very expository which is what I'm used to from Dad. The sermon last week was so encouraging; out of Daniel 12 and how the tough times we'll go through have a reason and an end and how that as Chrisitans we don't need to worry when we do go through those tough times.

Ok....that's long enough for now. I gotta make dinner.

Cars and Jobs and Stuff

Again, things have been busy and I'm sorry about the lack of updates. So here goes:

I did get a car! I had three criterion (less than 100K mi; 2000 or newer, less than $5000) and through a guy dad works with I got an '03 Intrepid that had about 88K mi and it was right at $5000. That was blessing one.

The Monday after Father's Day I left MN and headed to Chicago where I'm in a wedding on July 4th. As mentioned before I've always wanted to live here so I was hoping to find a job. My drive here was uneventful and I made it safely Mac in tow. I'm staying with my friend Rebecca and she has two cats. I wasn't sure how he'd feel about them with all the transitions he's gone through lately but he made friends with Puck and Athena very quickly. But I digress. I took Monday and Tuesday and did not do anything and Wednesday finally started looking online and got started filling out applications Nothing has really panned out but I wasn't yet discouraged.

I had been planning on heading to downtown Chicago for Saturday but didn't when I realized that I had no cash to take the train with. Then I decided that the mall was another good option and headed there (it's about 15min away). I parked and walked in. Where I walked in I noticed that there was a photo studio that was hiring. So I went in and inquired. The man whom I spoke to turned out to be the owner of the store and I could tell he liked me. He asked his manager to interview me right then and after I talked to her she told me where to go online and to fill out the necessary applications and that she would give me a call as soon as she got the info. This was yesterday and today I did the online stuff and just maybe an hour ago she called me to tell me that I got the job!! It's only part time and pays $9/hr but it's a start. I have a place to stay until the end of July (when Rebecca's lease is up) and am going to be looking for another part time job but at least it's a start!!

So thanks for your prayers and please keep praying : namely that I either can get enought hours (she can only promise 15-20 right now) or that I can get another job. And when the time comes that I can find a place to live that will not take the greater percentage of my paycheck.

Catching up

This is most likely going to be a long post. Pictures might or might not appear, we'll see how I feel about it.

Ok, graduation first. Which was like, a month ago, if not longer.

This year we has 12 graduates which to date is the largest graduating class of SCS (last year we had one graduate and the year before three). The night of graduation the parents took the teachers out to a nice dinner with the kids. It was fun to just sit and hang out with the kids. But then when is it not?? Then back to school for the actual graduation. The kids were running around getting last second things done, several had to tweak their senior testimonies. Some were rewriting them all together. One kid even asked me "What do I say?" I told him that I was not writing his Sr.Testimony for him and that he had had several weeks to work on it. He did get it done tho.

Graduation itself was good. Steve's testimony was funny, in it he thanked me for my uncontitional love and support then said "...and I am sure that you will find the perfect man." I managed not to cry until the end when people were taking picturesand stuff. I had one of the Korean teachers translate something for me when I went to talk to Max' mum. I started crying then and almost was under control when she hugged me. She was crying when she hugged me and it made it worse. Then Max came over and hugged us both which made me cry more.

The last week of school was exams and the last day was a cleaning/awards day. At the end of the awards chapel the kids all gave me cards and made me cry. It's nice to know that I am loved and will be missed.

Then the last few days were just making sure things were in order. I got school stuff done and did that last minute shopping for things I wanted. actually, for three days Holly Jessica and I went down to the south where they grow the green tea (thats another post). I got most of my stuff done and what I did not finish Merilee was so incredibly sweet to finish for me.

Going to the airport was ok. Again, Merilee was sweet and came with me. I stuck the cat in his carrier and he cried for the entire twoish hour trip to the airport. I was kinda concerend but by the time we got there he had settled down. Max, Angelina and Ronnie came to see me at the airport which was nice. Angelina gave me a sweet note and some pictures. Then it was time to go through security. I cried a little as I went through but quickly composed myself. The flight itself was good, the cat was quiet for the most part, only having a minor crisis for about an hour about two-thirds of the way through the flight. There were no accidents for the duration of the entire trip thankfully. Thanks to those of you who prayed. We made it to MN and shortly after getting home went to bed. The cat is still getting used to the house, just a moment ago actually he came all the way up the stairs and into the dining room. He's ok tho and happy to stay in the basement for the most part. He and the dog have not had too much interaction so there's nothing to tell in that area.

Things have been super busy here; since getting here I've had much to do. During the times I'm not looking online at jobs and cars I've gone and renewed my liscence, gotten a cell phone (it's pretty and purple and stuff!!), and spent too much money on essentials like shampoo, a new hair dryer and the like.

I'm looking in the Chicago and Greenville areas for jobs and have applied online at several places in both locations. I have a great lead on a car that I am hoping to get tonight or tomorrow and after that I am hoping to head to Chicago and get a better feel for the area when it comes to jobs. So we'll see what God has in mind.

Hi

So I am still alive but as you can mostly immagine super super busy. I just wanted to post on here to let you know that I am indeed still alive. I have several posts I need to write but they are most likely not going to get on here until I get to the US on Friday.

One quick prayer request tho: I fly out on Friday and am kinda concerned about flying with my cat. I have a 12h flight then a 4h layover then another 3ish h flight. Please pray that Mac and I both make it!!

Mac

So I've not said much lately about Mac on here. Yes I still have him. He's doing fine despite a propensity for eating boxes and styrofoam. I got him some toys, a catnip mouse and a fish on a string. The fish was pulled off the string within a day. We now play fetch with it. The mouse, being stuffed with catnip, is of course very much favoured.

300!

So this is my 300th post. Guess I need to put something more than what I was intending to put on here. Cuz pretty sure I did not need to know I could get a green CSI:NY ipod nano. Does it really need to be over $200?? Talk about paying for a label. But I would spend it. If money were not an issue...oh well. When I grow up maybe.

I can't wait to go to Singapore! We have our tickets and hostel booked. Jess and I are totally excited because we don't really know what to expect, we don't even really know what we are going to do there, other than hit Maylasia for a day.

I lurf meh kitteh. He's going to be ginormous! He's about 7 mos now and is as big as Lightning (cat I had for like...10 years or so.) was. He likes to wake me in the mornings by licking my nose. Apparently it means I'm part of his pack or whatever. Thats nice and all but I'd rather he inform me of that when I am more awake. He has also taken to sitting on my chest when I'm at the computer. I usually sit in a large green papisan chair (it's more like reclining really) and he likes to come sit right under my chin. When this happens he hampers my ability to type/see. I'm sure he is aware of this. For a while he was not wanting to sit on me at all but once it started getting cold he uses me as a heat source.

It is getting cold but not yet cold enough to wear a jacket. Or at least, not yet cold enough for me to wear a jacket. I'm still fine in long sleeves. It is dark here by 6 though. Which is strange. Korea does not do time changes.

Nothin' too much going on school-wise. Every one's looking forward to Thanksgiving (see above)...Church is still good; I'm still tutouring...mmmm...thats about it.

Happy 300th post to me...

Pics and stuff

Pretty sure "stuff" is about the greatest word ever. It covers so many things. Pictures (finally) from Spirit Week and another Mac video. This time of him playing fetch. 'Scuse the mess. I don't clean except on Saturdays. Too tired when I get home. And just plain lazy. The papers are actually grades and were not there for too long.

Speaking of greatest ever; this latest episode of CSI:NY rocked. As in greatest to date IMO. Yes, as 'fore mentioned (several times) I am a CSI loser.

I had a good talk with the grade eight today. It would seem that Korean culture is even more accepting of swearing than American culture (as even Christians sound like sailor by some accounts). So we talked about why exactly it might not be a good thing to swear. It lead into other things and ended with why saying certain expressions is against the Bible. I have noticed that Koreans (even Christian ones) don't associate "God" with their word for God (Hana-nim) and will often say things they don't realize they are saying. When what they are saying is pointed out they usually get upset and try not to say it again. The kids were responsive and I could tell some were really listening. So pray for them (and especially Chris and Samuel as they admit to having especially bad mouths when speaking Korean).

We got a new teacher today. Jason has been attending our church since this summer whilst teaching at an English Hagkwan. He was not-exactly-fired and Mrs. J willingly took him as soon as she heard. He was already planning on teaching with us next year. He's doing computer stuff, some Math and a few other things. I don't know him too well but he seems ok.

Jessica and I are going to Singapore for Thanksgiving! We have our tickets and cannot wait! We are going to go to Malaysia for a day while we are there. It's gonna be fun!

Every weekend is a busy weekend

And if you're familiar with my weekend Facebook stati (is that a word??? oh well, it is now) you might have noticed that most weekends I indicate my need to clean or some such activity. This weekend is no exception: Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday and I'm having people over on Sunday. I need to make chili, fudge, pies, cornbread muffins and something else that I have forgotten, I need to clean and decorate. I also need to get off the computer. But before I do, this is a wonderful article I got from Dave Mathues (a college friend).

All better!

So I'm pretty sure Mac is well. No more runny nose or anything like that. Yay!! I won't have the official diagnosis till later this week when I have the time to take him to the vet but it would seem that I won't need to go back for a while. Thanks for praying.

So you remember Cat Man Do? Well, something like that happened this morning at my place. I was tired of forcing medicine down Mac's throat so I decided to mix the last of it with tuna hoping he'd eat that. Well he was on to me and shunned it. So I took away his dry food and left out the tuna (less than 1/4th of a can). 30 hours later it was still in the bowl (sans about 2 bites) and he was cranky. So this morning he was being annoying and trying to wake me up so I would feed him. After I had ignored him /pushed him away for about 10 min he sat on my face. When I'd move he'd adjust as well so as to remain in place. I finally gave in, got up and gave him his dry food. He's also taken to sleeping on my foot when I'm sitting at the computer. What is so appealing about my foot I have no idea.

A Small Request Maybe?

Or maybe dumb, but then nothing is too insignificant for God right? Mac is still sick. Not terribly-I'm-in-fear-for-his-life sick but still, enough that I have to keep taking him to the vet. The vet is pretty good, he has good English and I do see an improvement in the cat. But Mac's still sick. Sneezing and coughing and all. I take him to the vet every 3 days or so and am given three days of antibiotics. In powder form. That I have to give him 2x a day. It is not fun. He's figured out when I put it in his food, so I have to mix it with water and pour it down his throat. And 15,000 won for a vet visit is not much until you have to pay it every three days for 2 weeks. Would you please pray that this Wednesday when I take him the vet will say he is better and that I don't have to bring him back until I get him fixed? Taking Mac out, paying the money, giving the medicine. It's all getting kind of discouraging and it would be a blessing if the Lord allowed him to get well by Wednesday.

Yay Fall!

The top three reasons to love fall:
1)

2)3)

Care to guess which I look forward to the most?

Long time no post

I'm sorry I've been a posting slacker. But maybe this post will make up for it? There are lots of pictures at the end!!

School has been going quite well. The most interesting thing has been Pirate Day (which was Friday). High School does not do too much but we had the kids playing a game during times between classes. They had to steal gold coins from each other. Each of the three was worth fifty points at the end of the day. We also gave points for dressing up and best-dressed boy and girl. The winning homeroom gets Krispy Kreme doughnuts on Monday. Linda's homeroom (grades 10 and 12) won, having 150 points. My homeroom was on my naughty list. We had zero points. There was also supposed to be some "kidnapping" of students during two hours but it only happened once. Over all it was a fun day. If nothing else, I got to wear pants to school. (=

Classes are going well. We've gotten a few more students. We're running out of lockers. Which is a good thing I guess. I think the number of students lurks around 120. Chemistry is plugging along. The second test had more of a point spread (only one student got more than 100% this time). Many students though have more than 100% in the class; I've given many opportunities for bonus. The kids are doing a pretty good job of paying attention but the sound from the projector we use is terrible, even with the addition of speakers.

Next week I start tutoring two students. It's four days a week for any general tutoring they might need. I'm planning on using that money for traveling. The teachers are wanting to go several places this year. Tentative plans include Singapore, Malaysia, North Korea, Australia, China and maybe India. Not sure how many of those I'm going to do but it will be as many as possible.

Last weekend was Chuseok. We had Monday and Tuesday off. Chuseok (if you cannot recall) is roughly equivalent to Thanksgiving but with more of a pagan connection (ancestor worship and the like). Because it's a heavily traveled time we teachers don't do too much. The biggest event was Linda, Jess myself and two others going to a Brazilian churriascaria restaurant. Second time I've been to one. Luuurrve those places. Pics are at the end of the post.

Friday night I went to Jessica and Linda's place for brownies and a movie. After, Linda wanted to know if anyone wanted to go to Dongdaemun. Dongdaemun is known for it's 24 hour shopping. It gets its name from a gate that is close to the area. Not to be confused with Namdaemun which burned down this past February. We got to Dongdaemun around 11 p.m., met up with a girl from church, and left around 2 a.m. There is nothing special there regarding merchandise but it's still fun just to wander around knowing it's so late. I got a pedi-egg. Again, pics at the end of the post.

Mac is still sick. He's had the sniffles and some other troubles for a while so I finally took him to the vet. He has a bit of a fever. I was thankful, the total cost ought to have been 25,000 won but the vet did one of the exams for free so it was only 15,000 won. Today I had to take him back and he gave me another discount, so it was only 12,000 won this time.

Pics from recently are below.

Shopping at Insadong

Dinner at TGIF

Brazilian Food

Late night shopping

More Mac

Mac talks with his mouth full of food. It's pretty funny as you can see here. He has a bit of a cold but is getting better. He loves faces. If there was a way to attach his face to a persons' he'd do it. He also likes to "knead" on you. He does not try to nurse, he just squnches (my word). I was tired of the needle claws in the middle of the night so at 1 AM on Friday night I got out of bed and trimmed them. Much better. He also does the typical cat "clean laundry equals bed" thing. We were in my living room/office area tonight and he was looking out the window. He scared the living daylights out of a girl who was walking by. He was not doing anything either. Just sitting there.

He looks really little in the papisan.

I got a handphone today. Boo. Now I'm leashed. But I have been having fun learning how to use it. If you want my number email/pm me and I'll get it to you. I'll have it on facebook soon as well. You can call me and it won't cost me any money. You just have to see about your long-distance rates to Korea.

In which I prove once and for all that I am slightly obsessed with a certain television show.

This is Mac. He is hiding under the bed so this is the best shot I could get.
He has also been sneezing. In part because of a cold and in part because of all the dust.
And the answer to your question is yes.