In the last four days:

I played Scene It and won

I enjoyed my spa day at Jardin Salon and Day Spa. After a relaxing time at Panera for my favorite: icey mocha and playing Sudoku; I went to the spa and started off with a half hour massage. How amazing! Following that was a hair wash with head massage, pendicure, manicure, make-up, hairstyle and lunch. I was so grateful for the experience, but couldn't help thinking of all the people I would love to have there with me. Four and 1/2 hours can be kinda lonely. However, I got to meet some cool people. What was my favorite? The hair wash with head massage. Ahhhh!

After my day of pampering Luke and I got dressed up and went to Red Lobster to spend our gift certificates. After waiting for a while, the power went out. The mall next door lost all power too, so the movie we were going to go to afterwards was out of the question too. We tried to wait it out, but decided to go to the theater downtown, so we left the restaurant. Traffic was crazy. We saw Happy Feet. It was very enjoyable.

Speaking of enjoyable movies...today I went to The Nativity Story with my class. I LOVED IT. I thought it was so different than any Nativity interpretation that I have every seen. I liked how it didn't paint Mary to be this holy, untouchable, unrealistic girl--it was very thought provoking and overall realistic, I thought. I laughed (a little), I cried (more than a few times), I enjoyed! After the movie one of my boys said, "There should be a Nativity 2!" I thought that was funny. I said to him, "It's called Passion of the Christ."

And lastly, in the last four days I got a financial lesson from a seven year old. Today little Natasha said, "Mrs. Demarest, do you want to see my credit card?" Sure! I said. "Have you used it yet?" "No, I don't have any money. If we don't have the money, we can't use the credit card." She is wise beyond her years. Apparently she heard that from a fifth grader named William. I believe it. He's obsessed with money.

Just Tell Us!!!

Today I really stumped my students. They decided to sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," so I decided to play a little Christmas game with them. That's what you get for singing in class. I had them guessing all day. I got a little annoyed when they wanted to guess instead of doing their math homework, and when they stayed inside for recess so they could ask me for clues. Oh well, it's just for one day. I'm ending this madness tomorrow.

So, I said, "It's a little known fact that there actually is a tenth reindeer."

"What? No there's not!" (What followed was a reciting of the introductory part to the "Rudolph" song: "You know Dasher and Dancer...")

So we listed them all on the board, counted them up, and then I said, "There's one more."

This blew their minds.

We sang the song again. And again. Then...

"Oh! I've got it!"

My brightest student wrote it down real quick and submitted it for my approval. He was right. Then we broke for lunch. The second half of the day was filled with guesses like, "Is the other reindeer's name Glee? Foggy? Eve?" No, no, no. Seriously, foggy??

Anyway, all of them but one has gotten it. I'm really proud of the one who got it first, and the one who will most definitely get it tomorrow because they are the ones who have figured it out for themselves. The rest of them quizzed me and each other all day long, thus getting hints from EVERYONE!

Just a little holiday fun. I'm certain many of you out there know what I'm talking about and already have it figured out, but in case there's anybody out there who hasn't, let's not give it away.
Hidden within "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the name of a tenth reindeer. Can you find it???

What do Sunday nights mean to you?

For 18 years Sunday nights used to mean going to church. For a long time I just sat with my mom. Then came the teen years where we would sit in the front as a youth group. It was fun for us cause we could all be together. It was fun for the adults because they could have a clear view of their youngsters sitting in church and not out on the streets.

In college it meant going to Bible study with Stacy Elizabeth Billings for most of the years. Other years it meant just studying or spending time with my roommates.

The past two summers they have meant staff fun night. One night in particular was not so fun: rock wall climbing. The strangest thing though: when it was over, it was a little fun.

Since school has started Sunday nights have meant Amazing Race. Tonight, however, Sunday night meant going to a Christmas program at a church I don't normally go to in order to see my students preform. It meant seeing one of my students from last year who doesn't go to my school anymore. I was assured that he is doing ok and that all the hard work and frustration we experienced together has made him so dear to my heart. I was brought to a point of pure joy in seeing him tonight. It was worth it. This particular Sunday night meant catching up with my cousin James who happens to live in Sioux City, but whom I never see. He's handsome and funny and so caring. It was worth it to go just so that we could have the best conversation that we've ever had. Amazing Race was just going to have to wait this Sunday. So, I set the Media Center to tape it. What I wasn't counting on, but should have thought about, was that football runs late on Sundays, so 60 Minutes gets started late, and that pushes Amazing Race back a half an hour. 7:30-8:30 instead of 7-8. The computer set it to tape 7-8. So, I have no idea who won the race, but I do know how it started. I kinda feel like I watched the whole season for nothing! What's the point in watching the process if you can't see how it ends?? Hmmm, my mind is racing because I feel like there should be some kind of spiritual connection to all of this. I'll think on that one. Anyway, I suppose missing the final episode of Amazing Race is worth it for the chance to be with James and to see my students. Teaching is the most wonderful profession to have. What else is there? All my life I've thought I would be a teacher because seriously, what else is there to do?? I honestly thought that. Now I know there's more, but there's nothing else I'd rather do.

It's Christmas time

I won a watch at our staff Christmas party. Wait, correction: Luke won this watch at our staff Christmas party. He gave it to me. I'm pumped about it. I really enjoy wearing it and it was completely free. I had said before that my New Years resolution was going to be to accessorize. Well, here's my first accessory.



This is our tree a little bit after the cats knocked it down. It doesn't look quite like I would like it to. There's no ornaments on the bottom third of the tree, and everything that is on the tree looks all messed up. I'll get around to fixing it by the time family comes over for Christmas. Oh yeah, Luke and I were asked to host the family Christmas get-together this year. I'm excited about it. It will be lots of fun with the Demarests.



I didn't want to put any of my Precious Moments ornaments on the tree because they are too heavy and also because they might get broken by the cats. So I created a home for them in the kitchen.

Mass Hysteria

What happened today can only be described as mass hysteria. Fourth graders go crazy when there's a birthday going on. The pictures tell a little bit of the story from today. We had fun. We watched Princess Bride and had cupcakes.

Also today: Luke and I put up our Christmas tree. An hour later the cats knocked it down breaking four of my favorite ornaments. I'm giving them both the cold shoulder. I don't think they notice.

I'm very thankful for all that happened today. It was wonderful. I got a fun birthday card from a name-share-er! Thanks so much!!

Top 5 Birthdays

I would like to take this opportunity to share five of the best birthdays ever, or maybe some of the most memorable.

1. My freshman year of college my friends of only a month or so kidnapped me! They blindfolded me and took me on a car ride to the happiest place on earth: Chuch E. Cheese. Ok, not really the happiest place on earth. They took off the blindfold and there in front of me I saw many people I knew and some I didn't know. There were LOTS of people there. We had pizza, watched Stacy dance with a fourth grader, and played games. It was this birthday party that solidified some friendships and started other ones. This birthday was also so special because it was my first birthday by myself--no twin sister to share it with. I missed Liz, but it was so special to have my own day. The celebration was all about me! It was great.

2. My sophomore year at college my girlfriends arranged a dinner together at a pizza place. On the way there we were talking about how cool last year was and how this year will be good too, even though it will be a much smaller crowd. When we got there we went up to the party room and I opened the door to find a much larger crowd than expected!! It was amazing. So many people that at this point I knew and loved.

3. For my 16th birthday my mom threw Liz and me a surprise party. We came home from Awana and all of our youth group friends were at our house. Those were the good old days when Jon, Tab, Grant, Lucas, Angie, Lindsay, Jessica, Erica, Strohman, and others were readily available. That means nothing to most of you. That's ok. This is the only good birthday I can think of when I was still at home. I know that sounds harsh, but you have to understand...most birthdays growing up consisted of quickly sticking in a present opening session in between getting packed up in the car to go to Grandma's for Thanksgiving, and running around the house getting ready to go spend time with cousins we saw twice a year and who could care less that today was our special day. I remember one birthday Liz and I were asked to sit on the couch while our siblings stood around us and Mom was half paying attention to us while they sang happy birthday and tried to look interested as we opened presents. No, I'm not bitter. I guess I'm thankful that I had a partner to be miserable with me. haha, this sounds really harsh, and people will probably feel bad after they read this, but let's just laugh about it b/c it's all over now. OK?

4. One birthday really taught me humility. It was the first birthday after Luke and I got married. My birthday turned out to be the day that we were traveling back from our annual Thanksgiving trip to South Dakota. Terri's (Gabe's girlfriend at the time, now his fiance) birthday was the day we left, and mine was the day we came back. Her birthday was remembered the whole day; mine wasn't mentioned until the minute we stepped out of the van in Correctionville. I felt terrible and lousy, bitter and upset. This is my new family and they're not treating me like a daughter. I should have spent my birthday with people who really care: my own REAL family. Yikes, this sounds bad. I'm just being very honest. Come on, I know someone out there is identifying with me. Maybe it wasn't your birthday, maybe it was something else that was really special. Anyway, Luke and I talked about it on the way back to Cedar Falls and he tried to talk me out of being upset. When we got home he bought me a sweatshirt I really wanted and did one of my favorite things: ordered sausage pizza from Pizza Hut and rented a movie. Even though Luke and I had talked a lot about it and I knew I shouldn't let it be that big of a deal, I was still a little peeved. It was during that next week that I received a card in the mail from my mother in law who said she was sorry. She realized not much was said about my birthday and she would buy me some new jeans the next time I came home. I really needed them. I definitely felt humbled. It was a memorable birthday.

5. I think this birthday is going to be amazing because the big day isn't until tomrrow and I've already been so blessed. Today my kids at school got so excited that it was my b-day that I got more homemade cards today then ever in my whole life! One boy sang me happy birthday in his own made-up language like 10 times. Luke's family threw me a surprise party on Saturday after we got home from South Dakota, definitely making up for two years ago. :) We ordered Pizza Hut and watched Cars together. They bought me Diet Coke. "These are a few of my favorite things!" Luke gave me an amazing gift: a "Day of Beauty" at the Jardin Spa. I'm talking massage, facial, pedicure, hair styling, make up--the works. I'm so pumped! This may never happen again in my whole life. All this is happening and it's not even the 28th!

I'm finding myself thinking: I am so not deserving of this. I mean, I just got really peeved two years ago when my birthday was forgotten. Is that selfish? It makes me think I'm self-involved. If nothing else I'm learning that it's so worth it to let others know that you've remembered their birthday.

Is this still the USA?

Luke and I went to the Pine Ridge Reservation in SD for Thanksgiving this year. We left at 3 pm Wednesday from Sioux City last week and drove about 7 hours straight. We stayed with Luke's uncle Rick. Rick is a missionary at the Res. He raises support year round to be there. He lives in a house, with a roommate, that is next to an abandoned Christian school. Altogether we had 20 people celebrating with us. That includes cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and parents. I wasn't sure if Luke and I would get our own room, or be able to share a bed, but we did. We slept on a blow-up mattress that was placed in one of the old school rooms. This abandoned school was a microcasm of the Pine Ridge Res. the way I see it. It was a well-intended organization that apparently received too little support, and/or money, to sustain itself. The whole school looked like at any day it could be started up again--everything was still stocked and ready to go. It's just that for some reason the school lost it's ownership. On Thanksgiving day for an hour Rick took us on a tour of the Res. I was reminded a lot of the missions trip I went on in college to the Rosebud Res. There was a really nice and new hospital and then really nice houses right behind it. This was a government funded hospital b/c part of the treaty the U.S. has with the Reservations is that they provide health care and money for LIFE! The nice houses belonged to the doctors from Brazil, or some other place where they have gotten education. We drove to the highschool where there were gates with barbed wire all around the school. There were playgrounds that had been set up by do-gooders from who knows where and they have all been graffitied and run down because there's no sense of ownership. They don't feel the need to take care of it because they didn't put in the time and effort needed to put it there. We drove through the drug selling part of town, the part where they sell the most alcohol of any place besides Omaha and Chicago, the place where homeless people stay; and all places were littered beyond belief. I honestly felt like I was driving through a different country. I struggled with what to do with this eye-opening experience especially on a day like Thanksgiving. I felt wierd about haivng so much to eat and so many things to do when I knew that right down the street there were Native Americans who may have not eaten in the last three days. What is the responsibility of the government? Are they really helping? What should we be doing? We had some really good conversations.

On Friday we went hiking in the Badlands. Dusty, and windy! It was fun though. The men and some of the girls climbed to the high plateau we were hiking towards. Gabe and Luke went up the hard way. At one point Luke was laying flat, bridging the gap between two cliffs. I had the pleasure of sitting a quarter mile away to watch the whole thing happen. This was comforting, but not so comforting when it looked like he might kill himself. We have two traditions that Luke and I look forward to every year: tackle football after the Thanksgiving meal, and the South Dakota hike the day after Thanksgiving. Both events were enjoyable again this year.