Here and there...

This week has taken on a different rhythm than the usual. Jody Heywood dropped in for a fun visit at the beginning of the week. It was such a treat to have her! We had a lot of fun together; I'll have to post some pics soon.

The last three days of the week have been devoted to ICEC- the International Christian Educator Conference. Close to one thousand teachers from around (mostly) Asia have come to HK for the event. It has been great. I really enjoy the chance to gather new ideas, encouragement and wisdom from others. We've got a couple awesome speakers in town- Dr. Gary Chapman (think love languages), and Phil Callaway. Dr. Chapman's thoughts were very practical- many helpful reminders for healthy relationships. Phil was hilarious, as always. He gave insights into how can have "hope for the crazy kids", speaking from personal experience as he was a crazy kid himself! Oh, that guy can really get laughter rolling in a room. I think a speaker must be gifted when they can make you cry from laughing so hard, and then cry because you've been so moved by his thoughts. One simple take away from his first session was to remember to commit to praying for kids. I've got so many on my heart- and somehow I still forget to pray. I attended some interesting workshops focused on counseling students. I am quite interested in this and I was glad to gain helpful approaches for working with hurting kids.

Next weekend I'm going to Macau for a girl's getaway. There are seven of us, and we are going to Cirque de Soleil together. I'm really looking forward to it.

I had to apply for a new passport today because mine is full! That's kind of a fun thing, except that it still has three years of validity, and it costs $100 for a new one! I'm praying they return it on schedule, or else it will be slightly difficult to board my Dec. 20 flight home to Canada. I am so excited to be en route to Canada for Christmas this year. I will be in Regina from Dec. 20-24, Calgary from the 24-30, and then back to Kennedy for the McMillan New Year's celebration.

Lastly, the real reason I had to get a new passport is that I need room for my Indian visa! I am taking four good friends along with me this time. We will fly through Delhi on our way to Guwahati. We are all very excited (though certainly prayerful about the very difficult situations in India right now).

That's all for tonight. Good night from HK!

New Kicks

Jill inspired me towards Toms Shoes. I think it's a great way to shop for shoes! Buy a pair and they'll give away a pair. They are aiming to give away 30,000 shoes to little feet in Ethiopia. I've ordered two pair that should meet me in Canada for Christmas.

Azul's Great Escape

We had another pep rally today. It was a lot of fun! Likely the most enjoyable part for me was watching the crowd view the movie I prepared for the event, "Azul's Great Escape". We had a blast 'shooting' the movie. I laughed and laughed as we wandered around the city with this huge, blue lion. The locals loved Azul!!! The schools you see on the movie are our rivals, one of them being International Christian School, whom we share a healthy and fun rivalry with. Ah, it was a fun day and one I'll be able to remember for a long time to come! Enjoy Azul's adventure...

Camp!

Last week we went to camp with the Grade 4's and 5's. Camp here definitely has a different flavor here. It's a little more posh. A little more dainty. It does has a few pretty sweet activities that I didn't have growing up (a rope course the kids love and a climbing wall), and the scenery is beautiful. HK kids tend to be more delicate than Canadian kids (there are exceptions on both sides of course). Big city kids who have spent most of their days in a concrete world. Grass, sand and dirt are such novelties to everyday life here...difficult for Saskatchewanites to envision!

It's always rewarding to spend time with the kids at camp. I loved sharing evening devo's with the girls, and spreading the "Chickee Chickee" love at the campfire. The barbecue has got to be one of the most humorous times at camp. I think I simultaneously heard 5 voices at a time yelling, "Miss McMillan...IS THIS COOKED YET?!!!" And then, five replies, "It's still cold and wet. You need to put it a little closer to the fire!!!" Ha. Way too funny.

Oh, and a last note...my lovely memories of camp food prepared by Mom or Laura or Margaret are being erased by the greasy cuisine/slops served at camp here....sigh. I think my body has recovered now...

deep fried greasy 'sausages'. served daily x3 :)

sketching by the dock...beautiful surroundings.

Giggles.

A couple things had me laughing this morning. When I went to pick up my kids, the first one in line looked up and his jaw dropped. "Whoa". "WHY are YOU wearing PINK?!" (I guess my kids are getting to know me well). It wasn't good for my insecurities and overall lack of love towards the color pink, but it sure made me laugh!!! I agreed with him, really. Why AM I wearing PINK?!! That's silly.

Then I spent my prep period reading through the bookshelf of "Little Miss and Mr. " books. Wow. I had forgotten how funny those books are!! If you are taking yourself, or your day, a little too seriously, just read some of Roger Hargreaves' little gems. My favorites today were Little Miss Giggles, Mr. Forgetful, and Little Miss Naughty. Heh heh heh. We're going to use the stories as scripts for our camp skits. I think they have potential to be pretty entertaining!

A Day for Mama Bear

This was taken on "Book Day". We were supposed to dress up as our favorite book character. I came across that blue polka-dot dress in a second hand shop and immediately thought, "Mama Bear!!!" I loved the Berenstain Bears as a kid. I loved ordering the latest book in the series from Scholastic. Therefore, I dedicated Book Day to Mama Bear, a legend of my childhood.

This picture also stars the Professor from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as Queen Esther (also known as friends and colleagues named Liz and Tammy).

Tidbits

Feeling...like it's hard to have balance
Planning...a girl's getaway to see Cirque de Soleil in Macau
Drinking...bubble tea!
Frustrated...with grouchy knees and a resulting hiatus from the tennis court
Worried...about my family in India
Excited...about going home for Christmas this year
Reading...grade five memoirs :)
Wondering...where I will be a year from today?
Impressed...with "Oovoo" (Today I had a video conference with Tim & Tara, Mom & Dad, and Steve & Bec...at the same time!!)
Missing...Mom and Dad
Teaching...on Joseph, grace, totem poles, and rules of divisibility (remember those?)
Learning...a new offense for the basketball team
Listening...to Andrew Peterson's new album, David Crowder, and good ol' country
Laughing...at my Grandpa's sense of humor
Sleeping...now