Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Christmas & New Year Greeting 2016~2017

3+ years ago, Ginger came into my home.  Abandoned by some heartless college boys at the door of some kind college girls, Ginger is so cute and loving it's difficult to understand how anyone could 
ever have been cruel to him!  He's alive and well, but going through peanut withdrawals. 
Just found out they're bad for rabbits.  
Along came Shishiko, early last Spring from the shelter. Ginger and Shishi can't be in the same space, but they live side by side in a huge cage my friend and neighbor, Bishop Cornelson constructed for them.
And now there's border collie puppy, Lizzy.  She's instantly a favorite with everyone, including my son and his wife, Karli. She's a whirling dervish of growth, fur, teeth and claws, but believes the entire world was created to love her and she them!  
I adore her, but she's added a delightful layer of chaos to life.

Speaking of Jordan and Karli, this year took them to places like Canada & Hawaii, filming the new BYUTV series which should air...as soon as I'm allowed to say anything, I WILL.  Here they are in Hawaii, celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary, after filming an episode nearby.
One more--Jordan and business partner, Austin Craig, on ABC doing a commercial for the Pocket Film Festival.  I see these 2 creating some memorable productions with their new company!
By far, the most memorable event of the year for me was the cruise to Japan and Taiwan with Susan Eliason!  AMAZING.  The food could take up several blogs, the ocean never gets old, and I discovered that Asia--all of it--will probably be a lifetime passion.
So, currently, I continue to work as a Japanese tutor on line for NCVPS and began teaching ESL on line to kids is Beijing.  It means getting up in the small hours of the early early morning, but the kids are adorable and a nap after 7-8 classes each morning, leaves the rest of the day open.  Will spend the first weeks of 2017 getting TESOL certified and studying for the Praxis II, in order to certify as a secondary ELA teacher, too.  
Exploring options to produce Twinkle & Luna, Flutter Bye & Lady Dot, 
Bunny Birds & Co. as stories accompanied with ESL lessons 
for an online school in Beijing....we'll see.
After breaking an elbow this summer after the cruise, with lots of hours and help, I threw together this disc for introductory Japanese.  It's not a video, but a bunch of files, images, learning pages and a powerpoint of Twinkle & Luna in Japanese.  It's a first attempt, and was pulled together while sleeping off jet-lag and sleeping off Percocet for pain.  So, it has a long way to go.  
But, it's proved useful to a few home school parents who purchased it, or so I'm hearing. :-) 
2017 should be an exciting year--full of challenges, possibilities and promise.  
Surely there will be disappointments, but what's lovely about reflection is, we can polish up and show case all that glitters and warms our hearts.   
Merry Christmas & the Happiest of New Years to You!