x-mas and since...

• It snowed on Christmas: Bjørn and I had a bit of white for our first christmas together. And it's been snowing everyday since.
  
• has anyone noticed that "x-mas" is fading out? Jeff noted that at dinner last night. 
  
• I hate the movie "I am Legend" but i think that's mostly 'cuz my hand was sore afterwards from squeezing Bjørn's hand so hard for 2 hours. 
• When Bjørn and I went out with Jeff and Whitney and Dad and Jeanette last night for dinner and a movie, we realized that couple-wise we felt a little backwards: Jeff and Whit are the old farts, Bjørn and I the newlyweds, and Dad and Jeanette, the young & the foolish (a.k.a. engaged)
• I don't think I've heard "Frosty the Snowman" the entire X-mas season: maybe it as well is fading out of pop culture x-mas
• Bjørn & I finally bought a standing lamp for our dark living room: but we did buy it half price. Jill called us "freaking bargain shoppers" and I don't know why I actually felt embarrassed. Apparently, I am slowly becoming Dutch, but not enough yet to be proud of it! haha.
• Borders bookstore, the social hangout of Corvallis, has now changed the status for when you look up a book or cd from "in store" to "probably in store." Bjørn and I decided that status was useless. I could've already guessed that the cd I wanted was "probably" there. The whole reason I went to look it up, was to see if they did actually carry it. I wonder what situation brought upon the need to add the "probably"? Perhaps an angry customer that started yelling because the book that said it was "in store" was not on the shelf? Interesting.
• Jeff & Whitney gave Bjørn a sign for our house that says: A good marriage is like ... It just keeps getting better and better.
• The OSU beavers play at 5.30pm tomorrow, and thus Bjørn and I must make it to Southworth to start round 2 of x-mas by 5.30pm (at the latest!) 

*I purposely used "x-mas" for the entire blog--I'm SO cross-cultural ;)

Why I Love My Job

The Funny Moments

(while helping a kid during "writing workshop") 

"Oh shoot, I couldn't fit that sentence on that line." 1st grade boy

"Well you can just write it down here." me

"No, i'm gonna have to write P.S. That's what you write when you don't have enough space to put something!" boy

 (while waiting with 2nd graders for the bus)

"Let's talk about what we're going to do this weekend. How about you honey?" 2nd grade teacher

"I am going over to a friends house tonight, AND WE are going to have a sleep-over. Oh, and I'm the president of the United States." 2nd grade girl

"Take a bow." Teacher

[girl bows and everyone claps]

"Teacher, can I go to the office to get a new shirt?" 1st grade boy, again!

"Why is your shirt all wet?" me

"Oh well, you see I was going to the bathroom, and it just got in the way. There was nothing I could do about it." boy

"Mrs. B, my arm is broken." 1st grade girl

"Are you sure it's actually broken?" me

"Well, it hurts really really bad." girl

"Ok, well go tell Mrs. DeHoog." me (avoiding the situation, haha.)

And the touching...

  2nd grade students were writing a response to "If I were a gift, I would be a _______, and I would give myself to _________."

2nd grade boy: I would be a bible and give myself to my best friend Mark so he could learn about God. 

2nd grade boy: I would be myself. and give myself to my dad because he only gets to see me twice a year! (in good news, the boy is currently with his dad for a week in California)

  I would tell you more of their responses, but these 2 already had me crying. 

Merry Christmas to all the little children of the world, and of Sumas Elementary!

Back by popular demand

for those who have been asking [Bjørn's family] here is my Christmas list. And I'm doing it in true Bjørn style with links and everything ;)

Misc.
mini swiss army knife in mint Urban Outfitters
ginger perfume (& other origins ginger products) Macys

gift certificate to Anthropologie

a new purse Urban Outfitters

rosanna plates Amazon

Print.

Women Behind Bars Amazon
The Radical Reformission Amazon

as well as theology and any classic fiction, esp. in hardcover, older/used editions

Tunes.

Carnival, Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant Wyclef Jean 

Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane

Why am I buying children's books?

I guess this is the result of working at an elementary school all day with primary kids, and having a book fair at the school! 

Fancy Nancy though, is an amazing books series, all about this little girl, who always wants to be fancy and use fancy words! Bjørn actually bought me the first book as an audible book online. For any mothers with young girls, read her these books! I just bought Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy today. 

The other book I bought today is called, Jazz on a Saturday Night. I 

didn't know they wrote good children's books about Jazz music. This book has an introduction about the history of jazz, and mentions the classics: Miles Davis, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Stanley Clarke and of course Ella Fitzgerald. The book even comes with a cd with the song: Jazz on a Saturday Night. 

Up to date

• It has snowed 2 weekends in a row in Lynden (and school hasn't been cancelled once!)
• I have finally been on the Chuckanut Dr. (Bjørn took me as part of saturday date night)
• Last night, Bjørn and I went to Bethel Christian Reformed Church for their advent service. This is the church that Bjørn's grandma has attended for years. She was quite excited to see us there
  
• Bjørn's grandma calls me Jennifer: I think when I am a grandma I'm going to call everyone by their full names and say "that's lovely darling" like the grandma from Happy Gilmore--anyone remember her?
• Bjørn and I are planning on going to Bethel every Sunday night during Advent.
• We went over to Doug and Pam's (Bjørn's uncle & aunt) for coffee afterwards
• Bjørn and I discovered after working out at Homestead at 10'oclock last night that the entire city of Lynden is dead after 10. As Bjørn said, "We OWN this city at night."
• Bjørn-of all people!- dropped his iPod while running on the treadmill, and reacted by telling me that I was not allowed to use my iPod on the treadmill! (because if he can drop it, then I FOR SURE will drop it! I love my husband ;))
• I think the staff was laughing at us while we ran side by side on our treadmills both wearing headphones and not talking to each other. 
• why am i ALWAYS cold?

Ch-ch-check your self

"Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." II John 8-9

Johnny (my pastor) did a good job of reminding me today how crucial it is that we cannot lose Jesus in our theology. Today, in so much of the emerging church people are "go(ing) on ahead" by presenting new concepts of God and church, and somehow so much of the time Jesus is gradually pushed to the side and slowly forgotten. Don't get me wrong, new ideas can be good and are important to challenge the church, but it seems that so many major doctrines that are the foundation of Christianity are being replaced today.

But the apostle John is so very clear that if we do not abide in the teaching of Christ, we do NOT have God. I don't often think of how easily I could lose God, but in our universalist minded society we must all constantly be watching ourselves. The second I start to acknowledge other ways of knowing God, I sacrifice my Jesus, and he "died for nothing!" (Gal. 2:21)

And that would be the most tragic mistake of my life.

Hello and welcome December!

Once again the snow has hit Lynden, just in time to welcome in December and the Christmas season!

But there's a "little" wind that comes through Lynden and Blaine from over the North Easten mountains, infamously named the "North Easter" which Bjørn and I just discovered is biblical! (those good 'ol dutchmen;)) This wind creates huge snow drifts and keeps very much snow from sticking on the ground. So even though it's been snowing all day only an inch of so has stuck on the grounds. Not to mention, this wind makes it absolutely freezing ALL the time!! Even though I've lived in Langley for the last 4 years, I was never told about this positively terrible wind that apparently only exists in Lynden. I've got to get an even warmer jacket!

The snow was a nice sight to wake up to, esp. since I've spent wednesday afternoon until this morning in bed due to a bad case of the flu. I have survived though and was able to go out in public for the first time today...just to the Woods coffee shop. But every bit counts! I also did a little more decorating today.

Bjørn bought the Charlie Brown Christmas album, so we're been grooving to that the last couple of days. I love this one: