Entirely Way Too Long
It has been a long time since the last time I blogged, especially since I said I was going to blog the day after my previous post. I guess I should make promises I cannot keep. I will admit I have been working on redoing Bethel's website. Although the final version still maybe upwards of a month away.
Iron Chef was fun. The secret ingredient was cocoa powder. The game plan ended up to make stuff shell noodles with a spinach, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and cocoa powder for the main dish. It turn out pretty descent. Our appetizer was cocoa biscuits, nasty things... we didn't have baking powder and the girl helping out substituted it with baking soda nasty nasty nasty. For dessert we picked a winner going with a chocolate pizza... Topped with chocolate cream cheese, and chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, drizzled with chocolate. My group got second place.... oh well. if it weren't for the nastybiscuits...
Everything else is going well. I've been able to keep up with the giants more this year than previous years, I have been listening to games on the radio which in great. they are doingok, 14-13 today. Second place in their division.... That means everyone else in the division with the exception of the blue team is doing horrible. The giants are 6.0 games back and have a 3 games series in LA this weekend... BEAT LA!!! BEAT LA!!!! Sweep the series and we'll be only 3 games back. Which brings up an interesting topic. Manny... that's rightManny Ramirez suspended for 50 games for taking a banded substance. Now is the time for any team in the NL West to capitalize on the blue team losing their star player. LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!! LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!
To Jay, This next Tuesday afternoon I'm heading with my yearbook class to Famous Dave's Restaurant in Long Beach. Totally looking forward to it.
To Everyone: Don't forget to wish your mom a "Happy Mother's Day" this Sunday!
-hold nothing back
here are some iron chef activity pics
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- Simeon mixing the shell’s filling
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- discussing the buscuit recipe
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- some waiting time
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- stuffed shells prior to the sauce
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- with the sauce
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- anna
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- drizzling the chocolate sauce on the pizza
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- nasty nasty buscuits
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- using a double boiler method to melt our own choclate
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- baked stuffed shells
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- shells topped with cheese and basil
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- other team’s strawberries
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- other team’s pudding thingy
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- other team’s chocolate breaded chicken
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- other team’s mini croissant
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- other team’s crepes
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- matt with the other team’s pudding thingy
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- other team’s rice dusted with cocoa powder and cinnamon
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- evaluation form for the judging
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- other team’s choclate steak
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- other team’s choclate drink
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- the table with the creations
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- everyone
Valentine’s Day
So today, was Valentine's Day... Renae and I have now been married 8 months. We slept in this morning, and then did our normal routine of taking Renae up to get her allergy shots. After that we drove down to San Juan Capistrano to visit the Mission. It is one of the oldest buildings still standing in California. It was a nice trip, the days was sunny but not too hot. The mission was enjoyable, and there were lots of interesting things that happen there. We then went to go eat lunch at BJ's I had the BJ's favorite and Renae had the Sweet Pig pizzas. My pizza was delicious, but Renae's was amazing I had one bite of hers and thought that it was a million times better than the one I ordered, but like I said my pizza was good. After lunch, we drove to Downtown Disney and picked up a few things for Renae, before heading home. Tonight I am going to barbque some chicken and spend the evening with my beautiful wife. Enjoy the pictures.
The Beach
January 25, 2009 was Chinese New Year and since the school we teach at is over 75% oreintal we had no school on that Monday. It was nice. Ruth and Ji came down and visited with us and we went to the beach. The took pictures and went for a walk while I took a nap. Here are some of the shots.
Golden Gate Park
Here are some more pictures taken around Christmas time. These ones are at Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco.
Muir Woods
Over Christmas, my family took a trip over to Mt Tamalpais and to Muir Woods. Here are a few pictures that we took. I've been trying for forever to get these on-line. so I hope you enjoy them.
Christmas Pictures
So here are some recent pictures of the last few days and our Christmas celebrations. Nearly 100 pictures. I hope you enjoy.
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Photos Courtesy of Nea's Heart.
Elementary Christmas Program Pictures
So these are the pictures from last night Christmas Program. The students did a wonderful job. Some of the pictures are a little blurry becuase the camera sometimes does not focus correctly in the dark. But you can get an idea of what went on. In the first few pictures are twelve of my fourteen students. (Two of the boys were not able to come.) I hope you enjoy the pictures let me know what you think.
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hold nothing back
Teaching and Baseball
Well, I am two weeks into teaching 5th grade, and am really enjoying it. It's kind of scary; that I'm enjoying this so much, but I guess it could be my genetics (my parents have both been teacher for almost 30 years now). Sorry mom and dad; if the makes you two sound old, you are not old. I have had a few tough days but it has been a really great learning experience. I have 14 students, 10 girls and 4 boys; it is a little lopped sided. The class is doing well, and getting along great. It is like I was given the most perfect and intelligent group of students in the school. All in all, I am really glad that God has given me the opportunity to educate this group of students.
Last Saturday, Renae and I decided we needed to go see the San Francisco Giants play a baseball game. Well, what helped was the fact that they were playing in San Diego. So we jumped on-line and purchased some day of game tickets. That afternoon we drove down to Petco Park and were able to watch an exciting game. Our seats were in the Upper Reserved by the right field foul pole. The stadium was really nice; it was the first time that I had gone to it. The best part about the game was that the Giants won 7 to 0. The picture Tim Lincecum pitched the complete game shutout. He is by far the Giants' best pitcher on the roster, going 17-3 so far this season with another game or two left for him to pitch.
On a side note, I was thinking about the baseball stadiums that I have been to...
PacBell Park, San Francisco (or whatever it is being called this year)
Candlestick Park, San Francisco (for us old-time Giants fans)
Comerica Park, Detroit
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles (I was there to watch a Giants game)
Angel Stadium, Anaheim
Fenway Park, Boston
and now
Petco Park, San Diego
The funny thing is that in my 18 years that I lived in San Francisco I never have been to the Oakland Coliseum to watch a baseball game. So that is six of the MLB stadiums that I have been to, to watch games. I have a little bit of a list ahead of me to make it to every stadium. Who know if I'll ever be able to go to all of them. Oh, and a bummer that I'll never be able to make it to Yankee Stadium as this is the last year they are using it. It makes me wish that we actually had snuck out on my senior trip to go watch them play. (okay we had thought about it but the Yankees were out of town the 3 days we were in NYC, so there wasn't that opportunity). Anyways I look forward to many more baseball games in many more stadiums.
*[Disclaimer: Just becuase I am a teacher does not guarantee that my spelling and grammer is 100% accurate in my posts.]
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What I’m up to…
Well my summer school job is over and now I'm doing some tech stuff around the church and school this week. Next week will start in-service training for school, I will be teaching in the 5th grade of Bethel Baptist School. I'm very excited to see what God has in store for me this year as I start something completly new.
Renae and I are doing great! She is helping in several ways getting me ready for school and also will be working with the Kindergarten Class for a few hours each afternoon once school starts. Recently we have been spending our evenings working on a puzzle and of course watching the olympics.
Mom and Ruth were down here last weekend as Ruth was coming back to school. Mom stayed over for a few nights and Ruth spent one night becuase she had to be back to the college, but we enjoyed the time they were here and their help on the puzzle as well. So here you go some pictures of our puzzle.
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why i am not a sell-out
last night renae and i went to an angel's game. we had a lot of fun. now i know some of you are going to see the pictures of me in the angel hat and think i forgot all about the greatest team in baseball. The San Francisco Giants!!! but i have not! i am still a die hard giants fan. giants all the way. now if your saying oh but james you bought a hat, well some of you know that i also have a red sox and a yankees hat too. so what does that make me? so no i have not given up on the men in black and orange. but i did enjoy a good old fashion baseball game. now don't bring up 2002 either that pitching change was running through my head all last night when dusty should have brought in jason schmidt, and that is why i can never be an angels fan. but like i said it was a good game. and the angels lost 5-2 so whatever. anyways hope you enjoy the slideshow.
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