Along Life's Learning Way

Yesterday, I mentioned that I have to get used to starting work at 4:00 in the morning. No, I haven't picked up a paper route,  I've been hired by VIPKID (v-i-p kid) to teach English as a Second Language online to kids in China. It's a whole new ball of wax from teaching people who are in the same room as me. And I'll have to get up at o'dark thirty to do it. BUT I'll be done working before my own people are needing help with anything and I can choose what hours to make available for booking classes. Plus, it's fun to access those things I learned years ago about teaching non-English speakers. I just got hired, and I'm still moving through the paperwork necessary when starting a new job, so I'm not teaching yet. I'm using this time to watch training videos and to acclimate myself to the technical aspects of this job. I'm trying to get up to speed on all things web-based because I'm just assuming my husband would rather not be startled a...

The next time I start a blog and make a plan to write everyday for 30 days, remind me that it is December and Christmastime is coming and I'm the mom. So I'll start again. Today I got up at 5:00. My alarm went off and I was first greeted by the anxiety of the things I should deal with today. Then I left the bedroom and I was greeted by something much more urgent: all the animals. I pet the cats. I started the coffee pot. I fed the animals. I pet the cats. I thought about what might be for dinner. I let the dog out. Fixed my cup of coffee. Let the dog in. Pet the cats. Made my way to the guest room/my office and shut the door. Leaving all the animals in the hallway so I could get something done. Why did I get up so early? Oh yeah, I've started a new job that will eventually require me to START working at 4:00. in. the. morning. So I should start moving my internal clock in that general direction. And there are lots of things to learn for this new job and that takes tim...

Operation Christmas Child Samaritan's Purse Today my girls and I had the opportunity to volunteer with Samaritan's Purse. We drove to their Southern California processing center in Corona, CA to help prepare shoeboxes full of gifts for shipment to the Philippines and Indonesia. When we left at 6:00, this facility had processed around 35,000 boxes today and had the goal of around 55,000 boxes by 11:00 tonight. You can see in my photos how large this processing center is!  Samaritan's Purse does this every year. People everywhere get shoeboxes and load them up with presents for a child in need. The boxes might include toothbrushes, socks, t-shirts, flashlights, stuffed animals, puzzles, coloring books, markers, etc. The boxes are collected at churches and various places and they make their way to a processing center to be checked over and boxed for shipment. Every shoebox is opened, the contents approved (no liquids, breakables, etc), the box is then taped shut and...

A Reason for Tea with Outside the Bowl Outside the Bowl builds Super Kitchens to provide hot, nutritious meals to impoverished communities. One Super Kitchen can provide 2,000-6,000 meals per day. OTB partners with existing ministries and agencies who serve the poorest of the poor, providing the meals so they can focus on their primary objectives. Outside the Bowl relies on donations to provide and sustain these kitchens. And one of the ways to support them is their annual Tea for a Reason . As a table host, I get to set a table with pretty dishes and invite friends to come and shop and learn about this powerful ministry.  Here are a few photos from the morning: Please click on the link below to learn more about how this ministry works; and how they support their ministry partners and the communities in which they operate.  http://www.outsidethebowl.org

Day Four Today I’m writing this post on my iPhone.  If you download Chrome on your phone you can access blogger and create a post. Since there is no blogger app for IOS, this is the way to do it, I guess. Good to know! Although this is impossibly small to see! Today was spent wondering if another fire would start closer to us requiring us to evacuate. Fortunately that didn’t happen. We have had a friend’s doggo while they are evacuated and that made for some funny moments since we already have 2 cats and a corgi. But all is well. Two guests are with us tonight and they hope to get back home tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow... my china is packed and ready to go to church in the morning so I can host a table at the Tea for a Reason fundraiser for Outside the Bowl. I’ll try to get some good photos to share here tomorrow. It’s approaching midnight but I made my post for day 4! Until tomorrow! Goodnight.

Day Three Yesterday we were aware that much of southern California was dealing with fires, but it hadn't gotten down to our neck of the woods yet. And then the Lilac Fire started this morning around 11:15 and has grown to 4100 acres at this point and is 0% contained.  At least two families we know and love are evacuated and another is in the evacuation zone, but is holding tight. They have a good view of the fire and have a way out if necessary. We are far enough south not to be evacuated due to this fire. We are even hosting one person tonight who is evacuated but has to stay in the area to get to work tomorrow. Hopefully no new fires will start around our town and the Santa Ana winds will pipe down and allow our ocean breezes to return.