December 29, 2008 at 10:28 pm (Uncategorized)
Another family tradition for the year. We love this one and this year Mom and Dad came along, and I believe they had a lot of fun and Dad definitely appreciates the value of a tamale… its quite hard work, especially from where he was standing.
Ive created another smilebox of pictures for you to view.
there are a lot of family photos, as this smilebox is making its way around the world and back down to El Salvador, to all the different family members who couldnt join in.
Enjoy the photos.
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December 26, 2008 at 11:56 am (Uncategorized)
Merry Christmas to everyone, I sure hope Santa was good to you and that you were with loved ones. We sure enjoyed our time, we were fortunate enough to have my parents for Christmas Eve and Christmas, and my sister and her family came over Christmas Day. We all had a very fun, exciting, relaxing and memorable time.
I’ve decided to try something new… check out the new application I loaded (SmileBox) (note, once you open, you can click the buttons at the bottom of the stamp frame 
(slower or faster run through)
Ive created a second version of the photos as well… its more of a scrapbook feel, Ive gotten mixed reviews on which is the favorite, so I have decided to post both
let me know your favorite!
Enjoy and have a Very Happy New Year!
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December 22, 2008 at 9:09 am (Uncategorized)
My previous post was about my amazement in how a fifth grade teacher could have such an effect not only on his 30 students but almost every one of their parents… well that carried on to this past Saturday’s event. Mr. McClurg invited his students, totally voluntarily, on the first day of their 2 week Christmas break, to accompany him to the Gold Country Health Center Senior community for “The Gift of Words and Song”.
Mr. McClurg positioned it as an opportunity for our children to give something of true value. He said, chances are rarer still in a community like ours where true need may never be felt. This holiday season the children were given a chance to share something most precious and valuable… themselves.
Mr. McClurg then reminded us that the youth of today (our kids) receive terrible press. Often, all the elder generation hears about young people is in connection with drug use, gang activity, and poor performance in school. It is very disheartening, and they have little or no personal contact with kids to alter the media’s presentation of this negative image.
We, of course, allowed Max to make the decision of what he wanted to do, and he jumped at the chance to share with the community. We attended as a family, as almost his entire class did, and it was an amazing experience. The room was filled with eagerly awaiting seniors to help the children sing. Mr. McClurg played his guitar and sang along (see photo below)
Then the most amazing part happened where the kids asked if they could sing in the hallways to the patients who couldnt leave their beds. The kids broke out into 5 smaller groups and walked around singing to small groups of rooms. This was incredibly touching!
Again, Im sure this will not be the last time this teacher amazes me, but i had to share it with you.
Merry Christmas to everyone. May the new year bring you hope and love.
Christmas '08 McClurgs 5th grade class
Thank you Deborah for the use of your photo.
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December 18, 2008 at 11:13 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge
Tonight, another indication of Max’s truely fortunate fate in landing in the 5th grade class that he did. Max has been torn between feeling unlucky to be in the only class where the teacher gives 15 page research papers to be preped during Christmas break, or the only class who has to do 4 book reports in 4 months, and weekly vocabulary tests that stump even us adults. Torn between that, and being the only class where a teacher takes the time and dedication to transform the classroom into the era of a book they happen to be reading as a class. Also the only class that goes on a 3 hour bus ride to take an amazing sailing trip to put the students in the element of their “Treasure Island” story.
Which leads to the purpose of this post. Not only did Mr. McClurg transform his classroom into Gravesend Kent, the town in which Charles Dickens created his story ‘A Christmas Carol (1843)’, but tonight, he invited his students and their families to a reading of A Christmas Carol, by two very famous men, who are in town to perform at the Dickens Faire in San Francisco.
These two gentlemen were fabulous, I was amazed by the attention these men received from absolutely everyone in the room for over an hour.
They were fabulous. Below is a picture… and do take note, this was in the “transformed” classroom, the room that my son goes to each and every day.
I do think Max is blessed to having been chosen for this 5th grade class, as I do believe he is making memories he’ll have for the rest of his life.
God Bless us, everyone!
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December 15, 2008 at 9:35 pm (Uncategorized)
Im sitting in a focus group for work, and we are behind a 2 way mirror. Its a super boring topic, with 2 different groups of 9 engineers. But when I spend 10 hours a day designing a website for these guys, they sure can rip in apart in as little as 30 minutes. Its almost like watching a football game when your team scores (or something nice about your site is said) cheering happens behind the mirror… but when they start barbequeing the site… we get very emotionally attached and take it so personally.
Very cool process though!
Cant believe its already 1/2 way through December, Ive just got 3 days left of work till I take 2 weeks off… very excited about that!
had a great holiday party, very successful here’s the picture of the family
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