Soccer guys

The situation with my two students being hosted by coaches has been resolved. The OSAA has granted permission for these students to remain with their current host families while playing high school sports. You can read The World Newspaper's story on it here. They even quote me. :-)

The athletic director for Pacific High School said it is highly unusual for the OSAA to grant appeals, and he likened this decision to the parting of the Red Sea. From my perspective, the same God did both, so I guess he's right.

The rest of the weekend

Ever since I posted about Marie's party, I've been meaning to come back and write about the rest of our fun weekend. Ah, but life has gotten so busy!

Last weekend was so much fun! Friday after work, Mom drove up and brought Yola (Hong Kong) with her to spend the weekend here. They arrived in time to eat dinner with us, which was a big batch of chili that had been brewing in the crock pot all day. Later that evening, Auntie arrived from Newberg, and as you know, it's impossible to have Mom and Auntie in the same place and not have a good time!

Saturday morning we got up and had fresh cream cheese braids for breakfast--apple and blueberry. Then we got everything ready for Marie's party, which started at 1:00.

After her guests left, we put a nice, big batch of pork ribs in the oven for dinner. We ran to the fresh produce market and got some beautiful corn on the cob to go with it. Baked potatoes with butter & sour cream too. Mmmmmm....

Saturday night we just hung around, visiting, playing Nerts, and enjoying one another. Marie had fun dressing Julianne in a traditional Korean hanbok.



Sunday morning we all went to church together, then headed into Coos Bay for lunch at Sumin's, which Auntie had heard lots about, but had never tried. Yummy, yummy, yummy. The kids really enjoyed watching the chef prepare sushi.


L to R: Yola, Julianne, Marie, Caleb, Elisa

After lunch, it was time to say goodbye so Mom & Yola could head south, and Auntie north. Our family hung out in town for awhile, wandering around the mall window shopping.

On a whim, we stopped by the home of our old neighbors in North Bend, George & Marie. We'd heard they were moving and we hoped we might find them there to say good-bye. They were there, loading up their house and having a huge moving sale. So we got to say good-bye to them, and we managed to come home with the white hutch that my dining room has been in desperate need of.

Marie's party

Yesterday was Marie's birthday party. Marie invited all of the AYUSA students, plus several friends from her school. She had a good turnout and a great time. I felt a little intimidated since I've never planned a party for a teenager, nor have I attended one in many years. I taught them to play 4-on-the-couch, a very fun game that doesn't require English. But mostly the kids created their own fun visiting, eating, playing piano & guitar, singing, and we even found several kids on the computer checking their email!

Marie had a great time opening her gifts with great enthusiasm, and lots of laughter. It was fun and interesting to see the gifts she received: some typical American gifts (jewelry, stuffed animals) and some more unusual items like a Chinese purse (from Hong Kong) and a song written for her by her best friend, Essie.

We couldn't ask for a nicer group of kids. Some are quiet, some are outgoing, but all are wonderful. We managed to round them all up for one group shot. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Happy Birthday to Marie

Today Marie turned 17! We took her to the Thai restaurant in Bandon last night for an early birthday dinner, and it was great. We ordered it a little too spicy this time, much to Marie's delight! After dinner, they brought her a dish of homemade coconut ice cream. Yum!



Today was pretty uneventful, because we are saving most of the celebrating for her party on Saturday. She's invited all the exchange student (17, I think) and a couple of her new American friends.

In celebration of her birthday, I made steak for dinner tonight, using the directions for this website I found on How to Cook the Perfect Steak. Adding oiled meat to a very hot pan produces some major smoke, but it's worth it! This method sears in the juices, producing a beautiful, medium-rare steak. It can't touch Grandaddy's grilled steaks, but I believe it's the best pan-fried steak I've ever tasted.

After the kitchen was cleaned up, we all went out for ice cream, then came home and warmed up in the hot tub. What a great evening!

Anniversary weekend

Brad and I celebrated our 14th anniversary last Wednesday, and to celebrate he planned a weekend getaway for us. Every Friday morning K-Light radio gives away a night's stay at The Inn at Face Rock in Bandon and during the months that I wasn't on K-Light, Julianne and Caleb each won one. They gave them to us in exchange for a weekend with Grammy & Papa, so we took the kids to Gold Beach on Friday and then headed back to Bandon.

The owner was Brad's client when he worked at K-Light, and he surprised us by upgrading us to a suite. It was a beautiful room, with a fireplace and a jacuzzi. I think it's the first motel room I've ever stayed in that was so big that you could stand in one part of the room, call out to someone, and not be heard. It had a separate bedroom, a full kitchen, and two complete bathrooms. Wow.

For lunch on Saturday, we decided to try out this Thai restaurant that we'd heard good things about. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD! We split an appetizer and an entree and had enough food left over to feed another person (or we would have if we'd stopped eating when we were full--but man! It was just so good!)

Then we headed into Coos Bay, did a little shopping, and walked around the Bay Area Fun Festival. My favorite was browsing in the booths that had breakables and not worrying. Brad liked walking by the Jump for Fun without a single person begging to jump "just once".

Sunday we headed back to Gold Beach, went to church, and then spent the day at Mom & Dad's. Yola's host family came to pick her up and take her to her new home, which was bittersweet for Mom & Dad. They will act as Yola's back-up family when her host family has to be out of town and Yola can't miss school. (Her host family homeschools, so this will happen from time to time.)

Brad and I had a wonderful weekend and so did the kids. What more could we ask for?

They're all here...finally

The last of the exchange students has arrived safely. Yola arrived from Hong Kong last Monday. She will attend high school in Gold Beach, but her host family wasn't quite ready for her, so she spent the first week with Grammy & Papa.



I figured that once I'd found host families and got the kids settled in, completed orientation, and wrapped up the loose ends, it would be smooth sailing. But of course, that would be way too easy.

Two of my students have host fathers that coach for their high school. Through an unfortunate random conversation between two local athletic directors, we discovered that it is against Oregon State Athletic Association (OSAA) regulations for exchange students to participate in any school sport if they live with any member of the school's coaching staff, whether paid or voluntary. So my student that lives with the soccer coach is not only ineligible for soccer, but for ALL sports this entire school year. This has put us in a bit of a pickle. Both students have to either be re-placed with different host families, or quit soccer and not play any other sports this year either. The coaches were going to quit, only to find it wouldn't help the situation since they were coaches at the time the school year began.

The host families and school is appealing to the OSAA in hopes of allowing the boys to stay with their current host families without having sacrifice sports involvement. I'm not sure how this will pan out.

I'm disgusted at such a regulation. I understand the premise behind it is to keep coaches from recruiting athlete exchange students to help the team, but honestly, they're throwing out the baby with the bathwater. There's already a rule in place prohibiting exchange agencies from placing students based on their athletic abilities, and if a coach wanted to cheat, he could easily enough get the kid to be hosted by someone else in the community. So while it doesn't really solve the problem they're focusing on, it does prevent some excellent families from hosting exchange students. I suppose they could host students that have no interest in sports, but the idea is to match students and families that have something in common.

Once this situation is past, I plan to do what I can to get this regulation changed. For now, we're praying that God would work on our behalf to allow these boys to remain with the families that love them so much. Please join us! We're hoping to have the situation resolved by the end of the week.

After dinner

Last night we had Pedro over for dinner. We had a fun time together, and afterwards we all got together to take a group picture to send to Pedro's 14-year old sister in Brazil, as I promised her I'd do. She and I chat online from time to time, and Julianne thinks we should host her in a few years when she becomes an exchange student. Who knows, we just might.

How much?!

Nearly two years ago one of the prongs that holds the main diamond in my wedding ring broke off. I took it to a local jeweler that I've heard does quality work on site and asked them for a quote. They said at the very least I needed to get all six prongs re-tipped ($240) but they recommended that I have the prongs replaced completely, which would set me back over $400.

Since that time, the ring has been sitting in my dresser drawer, waiting for the time that I have an extra $200-$400 sitting around. (Like that's gonna happen!) Some time ago I was talking about it to a friend, and she mentioned that she takes all her jewelry to a guy that works out of his home and she's always been very happy with his prices and his work. I meant to give him a call, but one thing lead to another and I just never got around to it.

Finally, I called yesterday and the guy told me to bring my ring by. I took the diamond solitaire as well as the wrap that goes with it. He checked them out and said that the only thing that needed done was to replace the one broken prong. I asked him how much it would cost and he said, "$100". I said ok and he burst into laughter and said, "No, I'm just kidding you!" I told him what I'd been quoted before and he got serious and said, "You took it to Jergen's, didn't you?" He told me how furious it makes him that they charge so much and do so much unnecessary work. He called me to come behind the counter to look at my ring under the miscroscope, to see for myself that the other five prongs looked strong and in tact.

He said he'd work on my ring today and call me when it's ready. The total cost: $15. If you need any jewelry work done, please call me. I'd love to send some business his way!

It's sinking in

Caleb was already in bed last night when I downloaded the picture of him and Pedro from my camera and added it to my blog. This morning I showed him the picture (which I've saved as my computer's desktop wallpaper) and he said, "I didn't really want to stick out my tongue like a Brazilian, because I know in this country it's rude."

It's nice to know that some of the things we teach him are sinking in.

O futebol estilo brasileiro (Soccer Brazilian style)

Today I went to my first ever high school soccer game! Pedro, the Brazilian boy I placed in Coquille, is a soccer fanatic, and is the star player on Coquille's high school team. There is a German exchange student that is also quite good. (Hurray for the exchangers!)

Pedro is fluent in English and very friendly, and before he arrived we had spent lots of time chatting with him online via MSN Messenger. The kids loved him before they ever met him. When he finally visited our home for the first time, he came with gifts for all of us: t-shirts for Julianne and me, a Brazilian soccer jersey for Caleb, and a cute stuffed flower toy for Elisa.

Julianne and Caleb both wore their shirts from him to the game today and we had a great time watching him play and cheering him on. Marie even cheered in Korean! After the game I just had to get a shot of Caleb and Pedro together. Pedro insisted on teaching Caleb how to pose for a picture Brazilian style.

First day of school

Today was the first day of school for Marie. Last night I helped her fill up her backpack with school supplies and P.E. clothes, and Julianne helped her choose her first-day outfit. This morning she said she was a little nervous, but ready to go.


I took her to school, and when we pulled into the parking lot, I think her nerves kicked in. I took her inside the school and helped her pay her fees, which took some time. She was unable to purchase a meal ticket because the laptop that the school uses has two broken keys: the "K" and the "I", making it very difficult to spell her last name, Kim.

I took her to her locker and helped her get what she needed for her first class. She wanted me to take her to the class, so I did. I then got to experience that heart-wrenching feeling that homeschooling has shielded me from thus far: that of leaving your child in the care of a teacher and in the company of other kids that you hope will treat them well. I waved good-bye and headed home.

We normally start our homeschool year the day after Labor Day as well, but some of my curriculum still hasn't arrived, and to be honest, I just wasn't ready to dive in anyway. Julianne and Caleb both begged to take their spelling placement test (so I tested them), and Elisa wanted to do any school she could get her hands on. I did a reading lesson with her, and read her a couple pages of her science book. (At dinner, she gave Brad an excellent description of evaporation, how and why it rains, and the water cycle, so she really did absorb the information.)

The kids missed having Marie here. Finally, when 3:30 arrived, Caleb went outside to watch for her. When he saw her walking toward the end of our road, he ran inside to announce it to Julianne and Elisa, who immediately sprinted outside and down the road to greet her. We all had lots of questions for her to answer about her first day.


She had a good day, and made a couple friends, but said she didn't understand much of what the teachers were saying because they talk so fast.

Tonight I had to work at the radio station, so Julianne helped Marie with her homework: Biology. Julianne worked with her for a long time, helping explain words that Marie didn't know. I realized that Julianne might end up learning high school Biology herself this year.

It was a good day, and my homeschool curriculum is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so we'll be able to get down to business here too.

Camping at Bastendorff

When I found out for sure that neither of my two remaining students would be arriving this weekend, we decided to pack up and go camping. Bastendorff Park has a nice campground near the beach, and all sites are on a first-come-first-serve basis. The kids and I headed out there Friday morning to get a site and set up camp, and Brad joined us when he got off work. We had a great weekend! Here are some of the highlights:



Roasting marshmallows and making smores is a vital part of any American camping trip!



Elisa made friends with the boys at the campsite next door and had fun playing cards with them.



Brad and I had our picture taken on this stump when we'd first gotten engaged. We enjoy returning periodically with our growing family.

Saturday night Julianne, Marie, and I drove into North Bend to join some of the other exchange students for a night of bowling.


L ro R: Nam-Kwon (Korea), Irene (Hong Kong), Sunny (Korea), Betty (Korea), Marie (Korea), Naoko (Japan), Essie (Korea)